


Auxiliary Room 13

by NerdsbianHokie



Series: Auxiliary Room 13 [1]
Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Angst, High School AU, Tw:Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2017-12-29 08:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 105,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/pseuds/NerdsbianHokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school is a war zone. Myka Bering had known that since her first day freshman year. She had just always managed to stay away from the front line. High school AU. Eventual Bering and Wells and Cleena.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As a heads up, this will not be a happy fic. There will be happy, fluffy parts, but the entire thing will not be like that. I will give a note before each chapter if it contains anything major.
> 
> This chapter deals with slut shaming and child abuse/neglect (not explicitly stated), which will both appear again.

_"Who knew she's actually such a bitch?"_

High school is a war zone. Myka Bering had known that since her first day freshman year. She had just always managed to stay away from the front line.

_"She's so quiet; I never woulda thought she would be capable of this."_

She had seen people torn apart by the bombardment of insults. She had seen proud students leave with countless battle scars. She had hoped to leave untouched.

_"Can you really blame her, though? Look at her, it's not like she has many guys asking her out."_

Myka curled further into herself as each comment rose from the groups she passed in the hall as she walked away from her last class.

They weren't hurled at her, that she could handle. Her skin was thick enough to handle direct attacks after years of a younger sister, and a father who never noticed exactly how much his words actually hurt.

No, these weren't cannons fired from the front. These were daggers, flung from the sides with a deadly accuracy that found the holes in her armor. Daggers that cut deeper than any cannon ever could.

She ducked into the restroom, hoping to find cover from the attack, but walked into an enemy camp instead. An enemy camp that just so happened to have the general in it.

"I'm just gunna go," Myka mumbled as she tried to escape, but one of the girls stepped up to her, and held the door closed.

"Why? You just got here," she questioned in an overly innocent voice.

Myka took in the girls around her. Most of them were seniors, except, she realized with a pang, Tracy, her little sister, who was clinging to the edges of the group, and watching Myka with cold eyes.

"Wrong door," she muttered, and tried once again to slip past the girl blocking her in.

"Oh, I'm sure it was," the girl said with a fake laugh. She draped her arm across Myka's shoulders and forced her away from the door. She stopped when Myka was right in front of the blond girl who stood in the center of their gaggle.

Myka couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as she stood in front of the girls. She was taller than all of them, despite being younger, but after the battle she had been through during the day, her shoulders had sunk. They all seemed to tower over her.

"If it isn't the little slut herself," the girl sneered.

"Judy, I'm so sorry. He told me that…"

"Yes, please tell me the line he used to get you in his bed."

Myka blinked a few times as she tried to make sense of what Judy had just said. "What? We…I…I didn't sleep with him."

"That's not how he's telling it."

"Then he's lying."

The girls all scoffed in such harmony that Myka couldn't help but wonder if they had practiced.

"Seriously. He…he told me that you two had broken up, but let the truth slip out later. I left as soon as I learnt the truth, I swear."

"Was that before or after he fucked you?"

Myka saw red.

High school was war, and she had just been drafted.

She pushed the girl next to her, and escaped the bathroom. She ignored the yells she was leaving behind as she rushed through the school.

She knew exactly where to go; there was only one place Mike Madden would be right after school.

She stopped right before turning down the athletic hallway. She took a few deep breaths, then stalked down the hall.

The hockey team was, as always, blocking the hallway halfway down, just outside of their locker room. She could just make out Mike standing in the center as he animatedly told a story.

As she moved closer, one of the guys on the outside of the group noticed her, and got Mike's attention. His face paled.

"Myka, what are you…?"

"You know, Mike, I'm pretty damn sure sleeping with you would be something I would remember," she cut him off.

He stuttered out a few syllables as his team watched in stunned silence.

"Instead," she continued, "I have this rather vivid memory of walking out on you when you accidentally told me that you and Judy are still together."

Mike tried again to speak, but she didn't give him the chance.

"Tell me, did I remember wrong?"

"Myka, you need to understand."

"Understand what? That you used me, then lied about it to the entire fucking school? I'm pretty sure I understand that."

"I have a reputation to uphold, Myka."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about your precious reputation. I was a little too busy worrying about the one you created for me. You know, the one where I'm a slut who will jump into bed with any guy who asks me to."

"I didn't mean to…"

"Of course you didn't 'mean' it, that's all that matters right? All's good in the world because you didn't 'mean' to ruin my life here." She let out a short laugh. "I would say 'fuck you' but that kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it? So, I guess I'm going to have to settle with this."

She pulled her arm back, then punch him as hard as she could. She felt his nose crack beneath her knuckles, and a stream of blood coated his chin and chest.

"I'll see you around, Mike. Don't bother talking to me."

She turned away, but froze when she saw the hockey coach glaring at her.

"Office, now," he told her.

She kept her back straight and her head high as she walked away.

-oOo-

"You got what?"

Myka cringed at the tone in her father's voice. She could only be grateful of the fact that he hadn't been drinking that night.

"A week of ISS," she repeated in a small voice.

"In school suspension? How do you plan to get into a decent school with that on your record?"

"It's just one thing, Dad."

"Yeah, and she's lucky she didn't get anything worse. From what I heard, she broke his nose," Tracy called from the kitchen.

Myka glared in the direction the voice had come from. Her mom's voice came through the walls, muffled as she chastised Tracy.

"She's right, you are very lucky it wasn't worse. I'm not going to be as lenient as your school."

She sat in silence as he laid her punishment out.

Eight o'clock curfew. Fine, it's not like she ever went out anyway.

Working every free hour in the store. Okay, she practically did already.

To and from school, with no other destinations. Wait… did that include…

"And no fencing."

"No, Dad, please. I have a major tournament coming up."

"You should have thought of that before you punched a kid at school."

She wanted to throw some snarky comment at him. She wanted to let him know exactly what happened. She wanted to scream about how it wasn't her fault, but the words died in her throat. They formed a lump, and made it difficult to breathe. She let her head fall forward and her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled.

"What?"

She raised her head. "Yes, sir," she repeated, her voice slightly louder.

"Good. Go check the shelves."

She nodded and left the room.

-oOo-

If anything positive could be said about ISS, it was that Myka could get her work done without the idiots in her classes constantly interrupting. She was able to concentrate on what her teachers had sent for the day.

She wasn't even halfway through the stack of worksheets, however, when she was interrupted anyway.

Unlike the other students in the room, she didn't look up when someone knocked on the door. She didn't care when the monitor and the visitor held a hushed conversation. She didn't care; she was more interested in her work.

"Ms. Bering."

Myka finally looked up. A tall woman with an old-fashioned hairdo was watching her.

"Bring a pen and come with me."

Myka nodded, grabbed her pen, and stood up. The woman walked out of the room. Myka followed her.

They walked silently through the halls until the woman turned into an empty classroom.

"Take a seat."

Myka slid into the closest seat. The woman slid a single sheet of paper onto the desk, then moved to stand somewhere behind Myka.

Myka resisted the urge to turn around, and looked at the paper instead.

The front of the paper asked for her information, then her schedule for both in and out of school. She double checked the information, then flipped the paper over.

The back held what appeared to be a personality test. Most of the questions were typical.

_Would you rather be on time but unprepared, or perfectly prepared but tardy?_

_Would you consider yourself a perfectionist?_

_How often do you clean your room?_

A few, however, made her eyebrows quirk.

_Do you have any abilities you have never been able to logically explain?_

_Would you have any interest in learning hand-to-hand combat?_

_Have you ever smelt fudge when there is no fudge?_

She made her way through the questions, taking her time to ensure that each was answered correctly. She closed her pen down, and leaned back in her seat. She twirled the pen slightly as she waited for the woman to walk back and take the paper.

After a few minutes had passed, she twisted around. The area behind her was empty. She turned back around and jumped. The woman was standing in front of her, already holding the paper.

Myka watched as the woman scanned through her answers.

"Ms. Bering," the woman said as she looked up from the paper. "My name is Mrs. Fredric, and I have an opportunity for you. One of the likes you will never encounter again."

Myka watched her with interest but reservations.

"If you decide to take advantage of it, you will receive training during the rest of your time here, and will, upon graduation, come work for me."

"Doing what?"

"That information will not be revealed until your senior year."

"Why not?"

Mrs. Fredric raised an eyebrow. "That is simply how we do things."

Myka nodded. Questions chased themselves around her head, but Mrs. Fredric spoke before she could choose one to ask.

"Before you attempt to barrage me with questions, read through this."

She handed Myka a pile of paper. Myka took them and started to read.

If she decided to take the opportunity, she had to wait a month before dropping out if she didn't like it. On the flip side, after the first day of her senior year, she would be required to spend three years on the job.

She would be partnered with another student and would have to attend training after school four days a week with them. Training would have physical and scholastic aspects. Her mind briefly wondered to the question about hand-to-hand combat.

She would, somehow but that part wasn't exactly clear, get a bachelors degree, then join a federal agency with her partner.

She couldn't tell anyone the specifics of what she was doing.

"Should you decide that you will accept this offer," Mrs. Fredric said as soon as Myka finished reading the final page, "everything you will need is in here." She took the packet and handed Myka a large envelope.

Myka nodded as she took it.

"Do you have any further questions?"

Myka shook her head. She fingered the flap of the envelope.

"Very well."

She heard the door knob turn, and the words burst free. "Why me?"

Mrs. Fredric turned around. She gave Myka a look the girl couldn't quite describe.

"We have been considering you for some time now, Ms. Bering. Between your academic record and extracurriculars, you have always been a strong confidence. Recent events, however, made it clear that you will do well."

"Recent events? You mean punching Mike?"

"In this job, you have to be willing to fight for a variety of things. For the mission. For your partner. And, for yourself. Yesterday you finally showed us that you will fight for yourself."

With that, Mrs. Fredric left.

Myka looked down at the envelope. A note for her to be in the halls was paper-clipped to it. She turned the envelope over. It was blank.

Her mind was still racing as she returned to the ISS room.

She handed the slip to the monitor, who nodded after reading it, and took her seat.

She forced herself to finish her assignments before going through the envelope, and was glad she did. The envelope held a pass to the school basement, a letter for her parents, and a single sheet of instructions.

She leaned back in her seat and just thought for the final hour of the day.

-oOo-

"What exactly is this?"

Warren Bering had his eyes on the letter Myka had given him. She had found the letter in the envelope from Mrs. Fredric. She thought about what it said.

"It's a career preparatory program," she explained, using the phrase the letter used. "They will teach me skills that will be useful my entire life, then help me get a job after graduation that will help me pay for college."

"I thought I was perfectly clear about the terms of your punishment."

"Yes. You said no destinations other than school, and this is at school."

He looked down to read through the letter again.

"The lady I talked to said that doing this will make any potential employees and college admission offices look past the ISS," she told him.

"Fine, but you will come right home after, and will put your hours in at the shop before doing anything else."

"Of course," she replied, nodding her head. She stood up, and walked to the door. She paused, and turned back around. "Thanks, Dad."

She left the room, and missed the slightly surprised look on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alludes to bullying

It was the first time Myka had been in the basement of the school.  She held her pass tightly in case a staff member tried to challenge her.

The kids who sneak into the lower level typically come back with descriptions of dark, damp rooms; narrow hallways full of cobwebs; rickety stairways where one stair always give way beneath their feet.

Of course, they all lied.

The basement was just as clean and structurally sound as the rest of the building, and the only thing that prevented it from being just as bright was the lack of windows.

Auxiliary room 13 was the last room in the basement, its double doors set in the wall at the end of the hallway.  One of the doors was propped open, and despite the logic that told her otherwise, it all felt slightly horror movie-esque.

She stopped in the open doorway and looked around the room.

It was large, only slightly smaller than the secondary gym it was most likely built under.

One of the back corners was lined with desks holding a mix of the most modern and the most steam punk computers Myka had seen.  Sparring mats took up the other back corner, where the walls were lined with mirrors.  The mats were lined on one side by a few punching bags and weight racks.

To her right stood a group of normal school desks and a few aisles of bookcases.  To her left was a small area with comfortable looking chairs, a rug, and a few tables.

A man stood in front of one of the tables with his back to her.  A junior girl she vaguely recognized sat in one of the chairs, a large book in her lap.

Myka knocked to get their attention, and stepped into the room.

The man turned to her, a cookie in his hand.  He looked her up and down, sizing her up, then nodded.

“Good, you’re here,” he said.  “Now if the boy could get here.”

“Calm down, old man,” a voice said from behind Myka.  “I’m here.”

She turned around to meet dark eyes.  The boy stared back.  Then they both turned to the man and spoke at the same time.

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I can’t work with her.”

“I refuse to be partnered with such a…”

“Enough,” the man called, trying to stop their protests.

The boy turned to Myka. “Such a what?”

“Imbecilic child.”

“Better than being a stuck up bitch.”

“Really?  Because at least I’ll go places after graduating.”

“Hey, I am going places!”

“Yeah, to flip burgers.”

“Enough!” the man repeated, his voice louder.  They turned to him.  “I’m guessing you two know each other.”

“We’ve met,” Myka deadpanned.

“Well, you better get over whatever’s between you, because for the next month, you have no choice.  So, Myka Bering, Peter Lattimer, I am Artie Neilson.  Welcome to Auxiliary Room 13.”

-oOo-

“Come on, Bering, you can’t seriously be reading it,” Lattimer groaned.

Myka ignored him and continued her task.  She was almost finished so it would be pointless to stop.  Besides, it had information on their training, and that was something they should know.

He watched her for a few more moments.  “Just sign the damn thing.”

“Always read what you’re going to sign,” she said without stopping.  “If you had read it, you would know that by doing this, you can’t do sports anymore.”

“What?”  His papers rustled as he searched through the document.

Myka snorted and finished reading.  She turned to him.  He was glaring at her.

“It doesn’t say that.”

She shrugged and scrawled her name on the signature line.

“But, it does say,” she said, “that you will have to work with your coach to figure the schedule out.  Two sessions here will be later in the night to accommodate practices, but the other two cannot be missed.”

He looked between her and the paper.  “You remember all that?”

“I have a good memory,” she simply said.

“So you can tell me everything it says?  So there’s no reason for me to read it.  I can just ask you.”

She opened her mouth to rebuff his suggestion, but Artie cut her off.

“Done?” he asked as he took the papers.  He quickly checked their signatures then put another sheet of paper on their desks.

“More?” Lattimer whined.

“Confidentiality  agreement,” Artie said.  “You can’t tell anyone what you’re actually learning here, and if I find out that you do, you’re out.”

“You serious?” Lattimer questioned.  Myka rolled her eyes and started to read through the text.

“Yes,” Artie said.

Lattimer groaned and signed the paper.  Artie picked it up, then turned to Myka.  She quickly finished reading, signed it, and handed it to him.

-oOo-

Myka fought back a groan and tightened her arms around her torso.  The wind bit through her hoodie and the snow crunched under her vans.

Lattimer.  Of every person they could have chosen to be her potential partner, they had to choose Peter Lattimer.  The boy was immature, offensive, and the entire school heralded him as the next star quarterback.

Beyond that he had hated her, for no reason, since he had first moved to Jefferson in fourth grade.  He was one of group that had ensured she hated her life.

The training itself seemed interesting.  They would be focusing on the basic knowledge – mainly history by the sound of it – and physical – maintaining a standard of fitness, different types of combat – aspects first, then would move onto other stuff.  What other stuff, she still didn’t know because Artie had refused to tell them.  Still, she was intrigued.

If only she wasn’t partnered with Lattimer.

-oOo-

Pete absently sang to the music coming from the radio as he moved through the kitchen.  He pulled a box of cereal from the pantry, and grabbed the milk as he walked past the fridge.

“How did everything go this afternoon?”

Pete looked up at his mom as she walked in.  He shrugged as he started to pour the cereal.

“It’s alright.  I’m going to learn some cool stuff…”

“But?”

“The girl they partnered me with is a major pain.”

“Maybe you’ll learn to like each other.”

He scoffed around a mouthful of Lucky Charms.  “Right.”  He grabbed his bowl and left the kitchen.

Jane watched him leave, then sighed.

“I hope you’re right about this, Irene.”

-oOo-

Myka ran a hand through her hair as she hunched over her textbook.  It was nearing midnight and she still had five questions left in her AP European history assignment, and a worksheet for Trig.

She had worked in the store from the time she had gotten home until dinner.  Then, after dinner, she had organized the backroom and restocked the shelves.

She didn’t even start her homework until ten.

She jotted down an answer – _Maximilien de Robespierre; born 1758, died 1794_ – then pushed the work away.  She crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head down.  She shut her eyes.

When she opened them again, an hour had passed.

Cursing under her breath, she sat up, rubbed her temples and went back to work.

Hopefully it would all be worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alludes to abuse

**Chapter Three**

Myka felt awkward standing next to Lattimer in her workout clothes.

He was almost all bulging muscle thanks to his sports.  His shirt – sleeveless despite the weather– showed off his arms and he occasionally flexed while winking at Leena.  The older girl just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Myka, on the other hand, was lanky and too tall.  Her clothes – purchased a year ago to practice fencing in – were a size too small and only made her look taller and lankier and even more awkward.  She shifted from foot to foot, wishing they were inside.

The wind was blowing hard against the straight-aways, which was going to make finishing hurt even more.  Snow was piled on the edges of the track; some had already found its way into her trainers.

“One mile,” Artie said.  “Four laps.”

Lattimer nodded and rolled his neck.  “Try to keep up, Bering,” he drawled.

She rolled her eyes.  She already knew she wasn’t going to do that well.  She hadn’t finished her homework until after two.  Her legs had been dragging all day, and her headache had been steadily growing.

On top of that, she had woken up late, hadn’t had time to make a lunch, and had no money in her meal plan.  Her stomach had turned into a pit hid-way through English.

“Ready…go.”

-oOo-

Lattimer was still gloating after they had showered, changed, and met back in the auxiliary room.

“I mean, I knew I was going to beat you, but damn, Bering.”

Myka rolled her eyes and pulled a textbook out of her bag.  She set it on the desk and opened it – the page she needed clearly marked with a post-it.

Lattimer stared at her.  “What are you doing?”

“Homework,” she replied.

He raised an eyebrow.  “Can’t you do it later?”

She just shook her head.  She would get home and have to work right away.  She couldn’t manage another night staying up so late.

“Whatever,” he said with a shrug and pulled a comic book from his bag.

The words on her page blurred together every other minute, and her head nodded forward a few times.  She closed her book and stood up.  If she sat much longer, she would pass out and there was no way she was doing that around Lattimer.

A wave of vertigo hit her.  She gripped the desk until it passed.  When it did, however, the headache she had been fighting all day increased.  It started to pound against her skull, making her eyes water.

She walked to the book shelves and started to browse the titles.  Her legs protested, and her head felt light and heavy at the same time, but it was better than sitting down.

She pulled a random book out and started to flip through it.  She leaned back against the bookshelf.  The book quickly grew heavy in her hand and the small print increased the throbbing behind her eyes.  She was about to give up and put it back when Artie – who had been testing Leena – walked in.

“Both of you, over here,” he said as he sat in one of the armchairs.

Myka slipped the book back on the shelf and followed Lattimer over.  She stood next to the chair Lattimer sat in.  Artie raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t say anything about it.

“Not bad, considering the conditions, but still room to improve, for both of you,” he told them.  Myka ducked her head, the criticism hitting her hard.  “You’re done for the day.  Get some rest, the real training begins tomorrow.”

“That’s it?” Pete asked.

“Yeah.  Go, be free.  Enjoy the rest of your day.  Don’t expect to get out this early again.”

“Sweet,” Pete exclaimed.  He stood and raced from the room.

Myka shifted awkwardly on her feet.  Artie gave her a questioning look.

“My, uh, ride won’t be here until the usual end time, so is it alright if I stay down here until then?” she asked.

He watched her for a moment, then nodded.  “Just make sure you close the door when you leave, or it won’t lock.”

She nodded.  He didn’t waste any time gathering his stuff, but paused right before leaving the room.  He turned to her.

“You’ll be okay by yourself, right?” he asked.

She nodded.  “Yeah, I’m probably just going to get some homework done.”

“Okay.”

He turned again, and left the room.

Myka twisted around to take in the emptiness of the room.  The silence bore down on her, pulling her attention to the pounding in her head.

She massaged her temples slightly, and returned to the desk her stuff sat on.

-oOo-

Artie grumbled to himself as he walked through the school.  How could he have forgotten his Farnsworth?

He groaned when he noticed the open door.  He had thought Myka was responsible enough to do something as simple as closing the door.

He faltered slightly when he noticed the music coming from the room.  Classical; not something he ever expected to hear at a high school.

When he entered the room, his eyes instantly landed on the figure at one of the desks.

Myka – head resting on folded arms, back steadily rising and falling – was fast asleep.  Textbooks and worksheets covered the surface around her.  The music came from an mp3 that had fallen to the ground.

Artie checked his watch to make sure he had the time right.

Her ride should have arrived at least an hour ago.

He walked over to her and gently shook her.  She groaned as she woke.  She tried to bury her face further into her arms, then turned her head towards him.

“Artie?” she questioned through a yawn.

“Why are you still here, Myka?” he softly asked.

She blinked a few times to fight off the sleep that still held her, and looked at the work strewn across the desk.

“Waiting for my ride,” she said.

“At five thirty?”

Her brow furrowed, and she looked at her watch.  It took a few moments for her mind to process the information, but when it did, her eyes grew wide, and she jumped to her feet.

Artie could hear her repeatedly muttering  _shit_ under her breath as she gathered her stuff.  Even in such a hurried state, he noticed that she kept her stuff organized.

“Myka…”

She stopped and turned to him.

“Thank you,” she said.  “For letting me stay and for waking me.  My dad’s probably really… worried right now.”

She zipped her backpack, swung it over her shoulder, and bent down to pick up her mp3.  She stuffed the device into her pocket as she moved to the door.

“What happened to your ride?” he asked.

She froze but didn’t turn to him.  He could feel the unease rolling off of her.  One of her hands was playing with the keys that hung from her belt loop.

He moved so they were facing each other.  Her shoulders slumped.

“I walk,” she confessed.  “I just wanted someplace quiet to do my homework.”

“You don’t have to lie,” he told her.  “This room is here for you to use.”

She nodded, but kept her head down.

“Let me give you a ride home.”

She looked up at him with shocked eyes, then quickly lowered her head again.  “No.  Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”

“Myka.”  She looked up and he gave her a hard look.  “It’s dark out, there is snow on the ground.  I don’t want you walking home in these conditions.”

“I’ll be fine, Artie,” she insisted.  “It’s really not that far.”

“I’m not budging on this.  I’m driving you home.”

An odd look crossed her features, then she gave in.  “Okay.”

“I just need to grab something, and we’ll be on our way.”

She nodded, and walked to the door.  She leaned against the doorway, her head resting against the wall, her eyes half-closed.

He quickly grabbed his Farnsworth, and led her out of the room.  They didn’t say a word as they walked through the building.  Artie allowed her to have her silence, sensing that even if he tried, she would repel any attempt he made.

He risked brief glances at her as he drove.  She looked small with her body hunched over her bag and her head threatening to loll to the side.

She only spoke – her voice automatic – to give him directions, then a small thanks as she climbed out.

“Myka,” he said just before she closed the door.

She bent down slightly to look at him.  Her face was schooled in seeming perfect emotionlessness.

“Anytime you need a ride, just ask,” he said.

She blinked a few times, then nodded.  “Thanks.”

Artie watched her walk into the bookstore, then drove off.

-oOo-

Myka wasn’t surprised to find her father waiting for her in the bookstore.  He blocked the stairwell to their apartment.  His eyes bore into her as she approached.

“Where have you been?” he asked, his voice harsh.

“The session ran late.  I didn’t get a chance to call,” she quietly lied.

Fighting every instinct to look down, she held his gaze.  She knew the importance of keeping eye contact; if he even thought she was lying, she would be done for the night.

Finally, he nodded, and moved to let her through.

“Be sure to call next time.  Go to your room.  Your mother will bring you dinner,” he said as she passed.  “And you’re going to work double shifts this weekend.”

She was asleep before her mother had even gotten her plate ready.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: alludes to abuse; jokes about rape

Pete scanned the crowd of people moving to class.  He knew she always came this way, so where was she?

He checked his watch; ten minutes until class started.  There was no way she was late.  Or absent.  The girl was freaky that way.

No, wait, there she was.He made a beeline towards her.

“Bering,” he called out.

She didn’t respond.

“Bering,” he repeated.

Her head shifted slightly, but she didn’t turn.  He huffed and pushed around a large group.

“Bering,” he said one last time when he was about a foot from her.

She turned and glared at him.

“I’m trying to get to class, what do you want?” she growled at him.

He stepped back and held his hands up slightly.  “I just wanted to ask if you did your reading for Artie.”

She gave him an aggravated look.  “That’s why you stopped me in the middle of the hall?”

He shrugged.  She rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to be late.  Do the reading in study hall.”

He watched her vanish down the hall, then shook his head and turned in the opposite direction.

-oOo-

“Why do we need to know so much about Ancient Egyptian?” Lattimer whispered.  He was leaning across the space between their seats.

They were seated in two of the armchairs in the room.  Artie had given them their reading, then had gone to work with Leena on one of the computers in the next corner of the room.

“You really think I know?” Myka replied, slightly aggravated.  She was trying to get through the reading.  It was long and dull, and Lattimer’s constant interruptions weren’t helping.

He groaned and sat back in his seat.  “But two weeks of Ancient Egypt,” he whined.  “It’s so dry I’m not surprised it’s in a desert.”

“The land they lived on was actually really fertile thanks to the Nile,” she absently corrected him.

He scoffed.  “Of course you know that.”

She looked up from the book in her lap.  “We learnt that last year in World History.”

He tilted his head slightly in thought.  “We did, didn’t we?  You think I could just go through the notes I took?”

She looked at him skeptically.  “You took notes?”

He grinned.  “Well, I assumed you did, and still have them, and would be willing to share.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Read the book, Lattimer.”

-oOo-

All Myka wanted was to pound in Lattimer’s stupid face.

She was flat on her back on the sparring mats.  Her chest was heaving as she struggled to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her.

Three weeks into their training, and Artie had begun to have them spar each other.  He had gone through the safety rules, then just told them to not go too hard yet.

So far, Lattimer had been able to overpower her every time.  Him and his stupid wrestling.

Leena was suddenly standing over her, hand outstretched.  Myka took her hand and let herself be helped to her feet.

“You’re smaller than him,” Leena told her.

“Thanks, hadn’t noticed,” Myka muttered.

Leena brushed her comment off.  “And you fence.  You have speed and agility. Use it against him.  Brain versus brawn.  Speed versus force.”

Myka caught her breath and let the words roll through her mind.  She looked over at Lattimer.  He was getting a drink of water.  When he noticed her looking, he winked and grinned.

Leena was right; she had been going around it the wrong way.  She looked at the older girl and nodded.

Ten minutes and three rounds later, Lattimer was the one on the ground.

Myka looked down at him for a few moments, slightly surprised that her move had worked, then she smiled and a laugh bubbled out of her.

She held a hand out towards him.  He watched it for a moment, a series of emotions crossing his face.  Then he smiled up at her and took her hand.

“Nice move,” he said once he was on his feet.

“Thanks.”

-oOo-

“You do know that my name’s Pete, right?”

Myka looked up from tying her shoe.  They had just finished a sparring session – 6-5 him, but he had gotten lucky in that last one – and were getting ready to leave.  “Yeah.”

“So why do you always call me Lattimer?”

She shrugged.  “You call me Bering.”

“Only cause it would be weird to call you Myka when you won’t call me Pete.”

“Why does it even matter?”

He shrugged.  “I dunno.”

“Do you want me to call you Pete?”

“I dunno.”

She stood and nodded slightly.  “Okay, Pete.”

-oOo-

Myka rolled her eyes as she pulled a battered copy of Stephen King’s ‘ _Salem’s Lot_ from between  _Dracula_ and  _I am Legend._   At least there was some logic behind the misplacement.  She checked the book for any extra damage then added it to the growing pile of books in her arms and continued down the aisle.

She reached the end of the aisle and put the books on the check-out counter.  She started to sort them by what aisle they belonged to.

She paused when she reached an old children’s book on ancient cultures.  She briefly considered buying it and giving it to Pete.

She blinked.  When had she started to think of him as Pete?  Sure, they’d been calling each other by their first names, but it didn’t mean anything to her.

Her brow furrowed.  Didn’t it?

-oOo-

It was another reading day.  Still Ancient Egypt.  Pete hadn’t realized there was so much to learn about a dead civilization – well, not  _dead_ just  _not as active_  as Myka kept telling him, in bigger and better sounding words – but there was.  They had to learn the history, the religion, the economic structure.

It all kinda just bored him.

He looked up from his book on late Egyptian rulers, and looked over at Myka.

She was curled up in her usual chair with her book of the week – something about language; she had a  _thing_ for languages – in her lap.  Her glasses were barely hanging onto her nose and her hair was gathered in a messy bun.  She looked more relaxed than he had ever seen her.

“Are you going to drop out next week?” he asked, disrupting the silence.

Myka turned to him.  “Why?”

“The month requirement will be up.”

She shook her head.  “Not planning on it.  Are you?”

He laughed, and she couldn’t help but smile in return.  “You couldn’t get me to.”

She looked like she was about to comment, but held it back and turned back to her book instead.

He smirked.  She was totally warming up to him.

-oOo-

“Yo, Bering, where you rushing off to?”

Myka ignored the question and continued to search through her locker.  She was going to be late getting home.

“I’m talking to you.”

The voice was closer, and she didn’t have any time to react before someone had grabbed her arm and twisted her around.  She lifted her eyes see Kurt Smoller – star football and hockey player – less than a foot from her.  He pressed a hand against the locker next to her head while the other held her own locker open, trapping her.

“You know,” he said, “a month later, and you still haven’t paid for what you did to Mike.”

She fought back the cringe.

“So I was thinking,” he continued, “and I may have figured out the best way you can do it.”  He leaned closer to her.  “Of course, it would take multiple deposits, if you know what I mean.”

“Leave me alone.”  She forced the words out, and was surprised when they sounded stronger than she felt.

“Make me.”  His voice was dangerous.  The danger flooded his eyes, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Hey, back off of her.”

Myka looked up as Kurt’s presence vanished.  Pete was standing in front of her.  He had pulled Kurt away from her, and placed himself between them.

“Since when do you defend nerds, Pete?” Kurt laughed.

“Since I got to know one.”

Kurt’s eyes flicked between Pete and Myka.  A leering smile crossed his face.  “Oh, I get it.”

“Get what?” Pete growled.

“She’s giving you some help with a few classes, and you’re showing her a good time, right?”

“What?  No.”

“C’mon, Pete, man.  How long you been fucking her?”

That was enough for Myka.  Holding her book tightly to her chest, she pushed past them.

Pete watched helplessly as she vanished around a corner, then turned to Kurt.

“So I was right?” the older boy grinned.  “You are fucking the slut.”

“I’ve never slept with Myka.”

“Why not, man?  You should get on it before someone else does.”

Pete grabbed his collar and slammed him against the lockers.  He could see the fear in Kurt’s eyes, but the boy refused to back down.

“Don’t you dare hurt her.”

“I dunno man, I think getting some might just loosen her up.  It’s not rape if you yell surprise.  Am I right?”

Pete did the first thing that came to his mind.  He punched him.

Kurt dropped instantly; right onto Pete’s rising knee.  The boy crumpled to the floor.  Pete crouched down next to him.

“Don’t even joke about hurting her,” he growled.  “Leave Myka alone.”

He left it at that, and followed Myka’s path through the halls.  He knew there was only one place she would go.

He wasn’t disappointed when he walked into the Room to find her sitting against the wall next to the door.

Her arms were wrapped around her knees, which were against her chest.  Her face was hidden by her legs and her hair.  Her body was shaking.

“Go away,” she said without looking up.

“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he told her.

“I’m fine.  Go away.”

He shook his head and sat down on the other side of the door.

“We both know you’re not fine,” he said.  “You can talk to me.”

Her head shot up.  Her glare was terrifying, even with the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Talk to you?  Why?  So you can go joke about me with your friends?   _You won’t believe what she told me.  Listen to what I fucked out of her this time._ ”

“Do you really think so little of me?”

“What have you done over the years to show me otherwise?”  She looked across the room, then lowered her head again.

Pete twisted so he was sitting cross-legged and looking at her.

“I wouldn’t hurt you like that,” he said.  She didn’t respond.  “I’m serious, Myka.  Between kicking each other’s asses and going through those ridiculous books Artie makes us study, I’ve come to at least tolerate you, if not like you just a bit.  And I don’t like hurting anyone, let alone people I like.”

“So what do you call everything you did to me in the past?”

Guilt shot through him.  He opened his mouth a few times to reply, but couldn’t think of the right words.  Finally, he forced some out.

“I was an idiot.”  He groaned.  “I was the new kid, and wanted to fit in, and it was easier to just do what everyone else was doing.  I know it won’t undo everything, but I’m so sorry.”

After a few minutes of silence, she turned her head so it was still rested on her knees, but she could see him.

“You’re bleeding.”

His eyebrows rose as he looked down at himself.  Blood coated the knuckles of the hand he had punched Kurt with.  He ran his thumb over the knuckles and grimaced.

“It’s not mine.  I decked Kurt after you left.”

“Why?”

Her voice was laced with confusion, and he could hear the unasked questions.   _Why did it matter that he was talking about me?  Why would you risk it?  Why do you care so much?  About me of all people._

 “He kept saying stuff about you.  I don’t like people saying stuff about my friends.”

After a moment, she let out a small sigh.  “Thanks, I guess.”

“Any time, although I am curious about why you didn’t just deck him to begin with.”

She lifted his head and looked across the room.  “I can’t,” she softly said.

“What do you mean, you can’t?  You can kick my ass on a good day, and I kicked his, so you could totally cream him.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is?  Don’t tell me you’re scared of him.”

She shook her head.  “I can’t get into any more trouble.  Not after what happened with Mike.”

“It’s not like a few more detentions will destroy your future.  Especially not with this.”  He nodded towards the Room.

Her face hardened.  “You know what, Pete, just drop it.”

She pushed herself up, grabbed her book, and left.

Pete sat in confusion once she was gone.  He had thought they were making progress; what had made her close up?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: abuse

Things were even tenser between Pete and Myka the next few days.

Pete should have known that Kurt wouldn’t keep what had happened to himself, especially not what he thought was going on between them.

The entire school suddenly believed that Pete and Myka were a ‘thing.’  Well, they all thought he was sleeping with her as payment for tutoring.

He couldn’t count how many times he was asked how good she was, or if he would be willing to share.  He couldn’t even imagine what she was being asked.

Myka tried to act like what the other students were saying didn’t hurt, that it all just rolled off of her.  Pete, however, saw the pain she tried to hide.

She barely talked when they studied their texts in the Room, but her hits on the sparring mat had more force behind them.  She avoided eye contact with everyone.  She hunched over, making herself look smaller.

Every time he tried to talk to her about it, though, she just closed up even more and pushed him away.

-oOo-

Pete jumped when something knocked against his window.  He glared at his curtain, then turned back to his comic.  It was probably just the storm blowing the branch against the glass.

It knocked again.  He put the comic down; the sounds were too regular to be the branch and a bad feeling bled through him.  He crawled down to the foot of his bed, then slid off of it to stand in front of his window.  He peeked around his curtain.  His face fell at what he saw.

Myka was sitting in the tree, her back pressed against the trunk and her backpack pressed against her chest.  Her legs were bare and the thin sweatshirt she was wearing was soaked.  Her hair was plastered down from the rain.  Her eyes were rimmed with red and she was visibly shaking.

He threw his window open.

“Myka?  What are you…?”

“I’m sorry,” she cut him off.  Her voice was horse and quiet; he could barely hear it over the storm.  “I just didn’t know where else to go.”

He nodded and gestured for her to come inside.  She slowly moved along the branch until she was close enough to swing her legs – bare, bright red, and covered with goose bumps – into his room.  He helped her fully into the room, setting her bag on his desk.  She slid to the floor under the window.  She pulled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.

Pete closed the window, then moved to his dresser.  He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt.  He walked back to Myka, crouched in front of her, and handed her the clothes.

“I’m going to get you a towel for that hair and some hot chocolate,” he told her.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

He left the room, glanced down the hallway to make sure his mom’s door was closed, then snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen.  He put some water into the kettle and leant against the counter.

His mind wondered to the girl in his room.  He had figured there was some major secret she was keeping, but had never thought it would force her to turn to him.  Especially not with the rumors about them going around.

The kettle clicked behind him.  He poured the water into two mugs, stirred in the mix, and added a splash of milk.  He set the mugs onto a tray and made his way back to his room, stopping at the towel closet on his way.

He knocked on the door lightly and cracked it open.

“You decent?”

“Yeah.”

He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Myka had moved about a foot to the side, and her wet clothes sat in the wet spot she had made earlier.  His clothes made her seem even smaller if it was possible.  He handed her the towel and sat down in front of her.  He put the tray between them and started to sip from his mug.

They sat in silence as she did her best to dry her hair, then draped the towel over her shoulders to keep the water from dripping down her back.

Pete jumped up when he noticed that she was still shaking.  He grabbed the blanket from his bed and sat back down as he handed it to her.  She nodded her thanks as she accepted it and wrapped it around herself.

She picked up her mug.  She just held it at first, letting the warmth bring feeling back to her fingers.  She stared into the liquid for a few minutes, then slowly started to sip.  Pete could see tension start to lift from her shoulders.

“Why are you here?” he softly asked.

She just continued to stare into her hot chocolate.

“Myka.”

She looked up at him.  “Please, Pete,” she whispered.

“No.  Something made you leave your house, on a school night, in the rain, and come here.”

“It wasn’t raining when I left.”

He stared at her.  “It’s been raining for three hours.”

She looked down again.

“You’ve been in the rain the entire time?”

She shrugged.

“God, Myka.  You should have come here right away.”

“I didn’t…  I wasn’t sure you…” she cut off as a shuddering sob forced its way out of her.  The one gave way to the next, which paved the way for the rest.

Pete’s eyes widened in panic as she was reduced to tears in front of him.  He frantically looked around for anything that could help.  When he couldn’t find anything, he did the only thing he could think of.

He moved the hot chocolate, then pulled Myka into his arms.  She let him move her, and pressed her face into his shirt.  She cried into his chest, each sob breaking his heart.

-oOo-

Myka sniffled a few times.  She had stopped crying a few minutes ago but was still clinging to Pete.  He was a solid presence she could ground herself with.

She knew he was itching to ask what had happened and was grateful that he had, so far at least, held back.  She wasn’t sure what she would tell him even if he did ask.

How could she explain the fear that had forced her from her house?  The fear that settled deep in her every time her father pounded on her door.  The fear that the door would give.  The fear that he would get to her again.

The memories of the last time he had gotten through the door, nearly two years ago, were still vivid in her mind.

She could still feel his fists raining down.  She could still smell the stench of alcohol that clung to him.  She could still see the blind fury in his face.  She still remembered the clothes she had worn (old pajamas that were still stuffed in the back of her closet), how long she had sobbed after (two hours and four minutes), and how many people had questioned the bruise on her neck at school the next day (zero).

The memory that helped her excel in classes betrayed her at home.

Her mom had bought her a doorknob with a lock the next day, but had done nothing else.

Pete shifted slightly then gently pressed her back far enough that he could look at her.

“Are you going to tell me?”

She shook her head.

“Myka,” he pressed.

“I can’t, Pete,” she whispered.

He regarded her for a moment, then nodded.  “Alright.”  He glanced at his clock.  “We should probably get to sleep.  You take the bed; I’ll sleep on the floor.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

“Nope.  You are not getting out of this.  I fall asleep down here all the time and you’re still freezing so you need the comforter.”

She didn’t have the strength to argue any further.

-oOo-

When Jane Lattimer went to make sure her son was awake for school she wasn’t very surprised to find him passed out on this floor – his arms spread, a foot poking out from beneath a blanket.  He often passed out while reading comics on the floor.

Of course, the girl in his bed was a bit of a shock.

“Peter Lattimer!”

Pete jumped up instantly.  The sheet fell off of him, revealing his pajamas.  He spun around until his eyes locked onto her.

“Mom?  Issit time for school?” he slurred.

She just pointed at the bed.  He turned around, obviously confused.

“Oh, that’s just Myka.”

“Myka?”

Clarity hit him.  “Shit, Myka.”  He walked to the bed, and lightly shook her awake.  “Hey, Myka, you gotta wake up.  It’s time for school.”

Her eyes cracked open.  “A’ready?”

“Yeah, and my mom’s kinda here.”

That woke her up.  She sat up and stared, wide-eyed, at Jane.  Jane took in Pete’s wresting t-shirt, and raised an eyebrow.

“Mrs. Lattimer,” Myka stuttered.

“One of you better start talking,” Jane said.

“It was my fault,” Myka instantly said.  “My family’s out of town, and I locked myself out of the house.  Pete let me in last night.  I’m sorry, I can go now.”

Jane stared at the girl.  She was obviously lying, but it didn’t feel like she was doing it to simply stay out of trouble.  There was something more there.

“It’s fine, just let me know next time,” Jane told her.

Myka nodded quickly.  “Umm, where’s the restroom?”

“Just down the hall,” Jane told her.

“Thanks,” Myka said as she grabbed her bag.  She slid past Jane, leaving mother and son alone.

Jane turned to Pete.  “Why did she just lie to me?”

“She didn’t.”

“Peter.”

Pete groaned.  “We didn’t do anything, I swear.  She just…”  He glanced back at his window.  Jane followed his gaze, a small pile of still damp clothes sat at the end of the bed.

“Just what?”

“She wouldn’t tell me, okay?” he said with a groan.  “But I’m pretty sure something’s going on with her family.”

Jane looked at her soon, really looked.  He was growing up.  He obviously cared for the girl, but it was more a deep friendship than anything else.  Slowly, she nodded.

“As far as I know, she was locked out.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“We will be talking about this later, though.”

Pete nodded.

“Get ready.  I’m going to make breakfast.”

“We’ll be down soon.”

Jane nodded, and headed towards the kitchen.  Pete closed his door, and started to get ready.

Myka was leaning on the wall across from his door when he left his room.  She had been watching the floor, but looked up when he opened the door.

Her eyes were wide as they just stared at each other.

After a moment, she threw her arms around him.  He stumbled back slightly, then returned the hug.

“Thank you, Pete,” she said.  “Thank you so much.”

“Hey, any time.”  He separated them slightly, and rested his hands on her shoulders.  “I mean it.  If you need help, you can come to me.”

She nodded and, for the first time since she climbed through his window, smiled.  It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but he would take what he could get.

“Of course,” he continued with a lopsided smirk, “this doesn’t mean we get to act all lovey-dovey at school.”

She laughed, and punched his shoulder.

“Oww,” he cried while grabbing is shoulder.  “Leave it for the sparring mat, jeeze.”

She laughed again and walked to the stairs.

-oOo-

 

Jane watched as Pete and Myka walked down the path in her front yard.  She was proud of what her son had done, but her worry for Myka was overriding the pride.

When they were not in view anymore, she turned around and walked back to the kitchen, which wasn’t empty.

 Mrs. Fredric was sitting at the table.

“So, that’s the girl you partnered my son with,” Jane said as she started to clean up.

“Yes,” Mrs. Fredric simply said.

“What’s wrong with her home life?”

“Nothing we are unaware of.”

“Is anything going to be done about it?”

“There is nothing we can do.”

Anger flared up in Jane.

“Nothing you can do?  There has to be something.”

Mrs. Fredric sighed.  “What do you think of them as partners?”

Jane glared at her for the topic change, but answered.  “He already cares deeply for her, and she obviously trusts him.”

Mrs. Fredric nodded, then stood.  “If it escalates to a point, we will get her out of there, but we can do nothing until that point,” she said before leaving.


	6. Chapter 6

“Do you think we’ll ever move away from Egypt?” Pete asked as they walked towards the school.

“If you listened to Artie, you would know that we have two more weeks with Egypt, then we’re starting the Sumer civilization,” Myka replied.  She kicked at a can someone had left on the sidewalk.

“The what?”

Myka smirked and shook her head. “You’ll find out in two weeks.”

Pete hummed.  “Any chance it will be more interesting?”

“For you?  None.”

“Figured.”

He took a few steps before realizing that Myka had stopped.  He turned and watched her for a moment.

“I’m sure my mom would understand if you just stay at my place for the day,” he told her.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied in a small voice.

“But?” he pressed.

She grimaced slightly.  “Maybe we should get some space between us before we reach school.”

Pete grinned and draped his arm over her shoulder.  “You know, I really don’t care about what anyone at school thinks.”

“If my dad even thinks anything is going on…” she faltered off as she stepped away from him.

He frowned.  There was no way he was making her go through the entire day alone anymore.  “Maybe if we show people that we’re friends, the rumors will stop.”

She just watched him silently.

“We are friends, right?” he slowly asked.

She waited a few moments, then smiled.  “Yeah, we are.”

He grinned and stepped back to her side to drape his arm around her again.  “Good.”

She laughed lightly and nudged him slightly.  “Let’s go, Lattimer.”

He laughed and started to step forward.  She pulled away again as they walked.  He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I will not walk into school with you touching me, no matter what,” she told him.

He raised his hands in surrender, but smiled.

“So,” he drawled, “what was in our reading for today?”

“Do you ever do your homework?” she questioned.

He scoffed.  “No.”

-oOo-

“He made the mistake, however,” Artie rambled, “of killing Berenice, who was very popular, just nineteen days after the marriage.  The people of Alexandria responded to her murder by _lynching_ Ptolemy the eleventh.  Which abruptly ended his short rule.”

He turned to face the whiteboard and started to write rapidly.

Myka quickly started to copy it down, but stopped when a folded piece of paper was slid onto her desk.  She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pete.  He was leaned back in his chair, dozing off slightly.  When he noticed her looking, he winked and grinned slightly.

Myka looked back at Artie, who was still writing on the board, and unfolded the paper.  She slipped it under her notebook when he turned around.  He spoke for a few more minutes about Ptolemy Auletes before turning around again.

Myka pulled the note out and read it.

_You want to come to my place after school?_

She quickly wrote out her answer and passed it back to Pete.

_Can’t, my dad would notice._

Pete nodded after reading it and grimaced slightly at her.

“If you two would kindly pay attention,” Artie barked.

They both jumped and turned to face him.  He glared at them for a moment, then turned to the board again.  Pete and Myka glanced at each other.  Pete fought to keep from bursting out in laughing.  Myka smiled and shook her head in humor.

-oOo-

Artie smirked as he watched Pete, Myka, and Leena walk out of the room.

Something had shifted in Myka and Pete’s friendship, something good.  Mrs. Fredric had warned him against prying into their lives.  He saw the advice as slightly redundant as he always kept the relationship between himself and his students professional.  Still, he couldn’t help but feel good knowing that not only were Pete and Myka getting closer, but that Pete was obviously making his way through the walls she had up.

-oOo-

“This is my turn,” Myka said as she looked down the street.  It was the most direct route from the school to the small downtown of Jefferson where the bookstore and apartment were.  Pete’s turn into one of the neighborhoods wasn’t for another two blocks.

“You gunna be okay?” Pete asked.

She nodded absently and rubbed her neck.

“Myka,” he pressed.  She turned to him.  “I can walk you to your house if you want.”

“It will be dark before you get home if you do.”

“I’ll just cut through the park, shave off half an hour.”

“I’ll be fine, Pete,” she said.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.  At least let me put my number into your phone.”

“I don’t have a phone.”

He blankly stared at her for a few moments.  “How do you not have a phone?”

Myka shrugged.  Her fingers wrapped tightly around the straps of her backpack.  She looked at the street light above them.   “My parents don’t like how much people depend on phones, so they won’t get us one.”

“Everybody has a phone,” Pete insisted.  “I’ve seen your sister with a phone.”

“She pays for it herself,” Myka explained, looking over at him.  “Tracy uses most of her pay from the store for it.”

“Why don’t you do that?”

She shrugged again, the movement slightly heavier this time, and kicked the ground slightly as she watched her feet.  “I put that money into savings instead.  It’s not like I have anyone to call or text or anything.”

He grimaced slightly and made himself focus on the lighter aspect.  “Your savings must be huge by now.”

She raised her head and smiled, knowing what he was doing.  “It’s a good amount.”

“So you could buy something crazy, like a motorcycle, or a mint condition, life-sized Iron Shadow replica?  That’s so cool.”

She laughed.  “Yeah.”

He grinned then looked down the way he had to go.  “I guess I’ll see you around tomorrow.”

“I guess,” she replied as she stepped towards the cross walk.

He started to walk away.  After a few moments, an idea crossed his mind.  He turned to tell Myka, but she was already across the street.  He shrugged and saved the idea away for later.

-oOo-

Myka slipped into the store as quietly as she could, not even opening the door far enough for the bell to ring.  Tracy wasn’t at the counter, which meant she was either in the stacks or in the back room.  With any luck, it was the former.

Eyes wide, Myka made a beeline for the backroom.  She got a glance of Tracy’s back in one of the aisles.  She moved through the shelves and had a hand on the doorknob when Tracy saw her.

“Where were you this morning?”

Myka took a deep breath and turned.  “I left early.”

“Why?”

She forced out a sigh.  “I had stuff to do, Trace.”

“What stuff makes you go to school early?”

Myka’s mind raced and she settled on the first lie that made sense.  “A project in one of my classes.  I had to talk to the teacher.”

Tracy shook her head.  “You’re crazy.”

Myka pushed down the twinge of pain and shrugged.  “I’ll be down in a few minutes to help.”

“Yeah, cause there’s so much to do down here,” Tracy moaned.

“Have you shelved the shipment from last week?”

Tracy shrugged slightly.  “Not entirely.”

Myka rolled her eyes and pushed through the door to the backroom.  Only the bulb that hung from the ceiling was on, throwing most of the room into shadows.  A few boxes were stacked on the desk.  The tape holding them closed only proved that Tracy hadn’t even touched them.

She walked between the rickety shelves and stepped up onto the stairs.

Soft jazz music filled the air of the apartment.  She swallowed; her father was in the sitting room.  There was no way he wasn’t going to see her walk past.

Hoping for the best, she crept forward, clinging to the wall opposite the sitting room door.  She stepped past the door as quickly as she could.

“Myka.”

Her heart leapt into her throat at her father’s voice.  Head down, she turned around slowly to face him.  He stood in the doorway, watching her.  She pulled further into herself as each moment in silence passed.

“Don’t forget your fencing gear tomorrow,” he told her.  “I better not hear from your coach that you slacked off during your time off.”

“I won’t forget,” she said.

“Good.  Go put your stuff away then get to work.”

He walked away without another word.

Myka let out a small breath and made her way to her room.  She tossed her bag onto her desk and slumped onto her bed.  She should have seen it coming.  He always did something for her the day after.

When she was younger, she had gobbled it all up.  She had been so desperate for his attention that the trips to the ice cream shop or toy store would easily draw her in.  She would happily forget what he had done because he was giving her the time of day.

She hadn’t fallen for it for a few years, however, and now saw it for what it really was.  He wasn’t really sorry; he was just buying her forgiveness.

She looked over at her fencing gear as it hung in the corner.  At least some good came from his manipulations.

-oOo-

Pete was eating a bowl of cereal in front of the TV when his mom came home.  He grinned and waved at her when she walked through the den and into the kitchen.  She walked back out a few minutes later with a sandwich.  She sat next to him on the couch.

“You better start talking.”

He looked over at her with an eyebrow raised.  “Bout what?”

“You know about what.”

Pete’s shoulders slumped and he stared at his hands for a moment before looking up at her.

“It’s her life, Mom.  I can’t betray her like that.”

Jane sighed.  “Pete, something forced her out of her house last night.  I need to know if she is in danger.  I can get her help.”

“I’m her help.”

“That’s great, Pete, but-“

“She told me what she told you,” he cut her off.  “Really, I don’t know anything else.”

“At least tell me what happened last night.”

He rolled his head slightly.  “She knocked on my window, round eleven.  I got her some dry clothes, hot chocolate, and we talked for a bit.  She fell asleep within thirty minutes of showing up.”

She stared at him then nodded.  “If she comes over like that again, you tell me, understand?”

“Yeah.”


	7. Chapter 7

Myka hefted her bag further onto her shoulder.  The weight of her fencing gear rested comfortably against her side as she turned the final corner and the school came into view.

“Hey, hey, hey.”

She turned to see Pete leaning against a light post.

“Hey, Pete,” she said with a small smile.

He pushed himself off of the pole and fell into step with her as she passed.

“How was your night?” he asked.

“Not bad,” she replied.

“Meaning?”

She hefted the bag up slightly.  “I’m going back to fencing.”

“Fencing?  Sword fighting in straight jackets?”

She let out a short laugh.  “They aren’t straight jackets.”

“But it is sword fighting?”

“Yes, Pete,” she sighed.  “It’s sword fighting.”

“Awesome,” he exclaimed and started to swing his arms like sword fighters did in the movies.

“Not like that,” she laughed.

He smirked at her as he stopped and opened the school’s front door.

“So you have practice tonight?”

“Yeah.  I’ll have to run to the rec center right after school.”

“Fun.” He paused for a moment.  “How is it going to work with training?  I mean, we don’t have it today, but the rest of the week?”

“I only have fencing Tuesdays, Friday’s, and Saturday’s,” she told him.  “I’ll have to talk to Artie about Tuesday.”

“Good, you can’t ditch me with Artie.”

“What about when you start football season?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again and his eyebrows furrowed.  “I actually don’t know.”

-oOo-

Myka held back her grin.  It felt good to hold her epee again.  The handle was welcoming in her grip and the weight was a comfort.

She watched the coach demonstrate sixte for the younger students – all two of them – then turn to her once the boys were going through the movements in repetition.

“It’s good to see you back, Ms. Bering,” the man said.

“It’s good to be back,” she replied.

“What kept you away for so long?”

She shrugged.  “My dad wanted me to focus on school for a bit,” she lazily lied.

Her coach raised an eyebrow.  “I wasn’t aware that you needed to focus more on school.”

She shrugged again.  He tilted his head slightly in understanding that she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Okay, let’s go through the parries.  Prime.  Seconde.  Tierce.”

Myka moved easily through each position, her coach only correcting her angle twice.  She was covered in a thin layer of sweat by the end of the practice and her arm burned in the familiar way it always did after fencing.

"Good job, Ms. Bering," her coach said as she packed her gear.

"Thank you," she replied.

"We will focus on your saber work tomorrow."

She smiled and nodded.  "Have a good day, coach," she said before leaving the gym.

-oOo-

“We’re just running?” Pete questioned.

Myka absently picked at a loose thread on her shirt cuff as their trainer glared at Pete.  They were standing by the track, Pete and Myka in their work out gear – the usual shorts and sleeveless shirt for Pete, but Myka had gone for a long sleeved shirt; it was starting to warm up as they fully entered April, but it was still chilly and it was easier to push up sleeves than get warm without them.

“Yes.  Choose a direction and run.  Twenty minutes out, twenty minutes back,” Artie instructed.  “Stay together.  Get each other to run faster and run the entire time.  Think you can do that?”

“Sure,” Pete shrugged.  “But can we stop if we have to cross the street and a car is coming?”

“Go,” Artie barked as he pointed at the street that went into the neighborhood.

“Okay, okay.  We’re going,” Pete relented as he started to jog backwards.  “C’mon, Mykes.”

She raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but said nothing and started to run after him, starting the timer on her watch as she went.  They ran in silence, strides matching until they left the school grounds and turned a corner that officially put them out of Artie’s view.  Then Pete slowed considerably.

“What are you doing?” Myka asked.

“PE shuffle,” he replied.

“The what?”

“You know, what everyone does in PE,” he told her.  “Kinda bounce slightly, so it looks like you're running, but you really aren’t.”

She rolled her eyes.  “We’re supposed to actually push ourselves.”

“This is pushing myself.  Usually I only have to do it for like, ten minutes.  Forty is a big leap.”

She watching him for a moment, then smirked.  “You’re scared.”

A confused expression crossed his face.

“Scared?”

“That I would beat you if we ran normally.”

His confusion turned to incredulity.  “So not true.”

“Prove it.”

His pace instantly picked up.  They matched stride for stride as they passed the turn towards Myka’s house, then Pete’s neighborhood.  They soon entered the shade from the park trees, and the temperature seemed to drop five degrees.

“Can’t wait til summer,” Pete muttered as he rubbed his bare arms.  Myka gave a breathy laugh, but didn’t reply.

Myka’s watch reached twenty minutes just as they entered the rec center parking lot.

“Two and a half miles,” Pete gasped, his torso bent over, hands on his knees, “in twenty minutes.”

“Eight minute miles,” Myka nodded as she held her arms over her head and focused on keeping her breathing steady.  “Ready for the return trip?”

Pete groaned but stepped off with her.

-oOo-

They were both gasping as they slowed to a stop, their first walking steps taking them onto the track.

“Let’s not do that again,” Pete said through deep breaths.

“I thought football players could run,” she teased through her own gasps.  They started a walking lap around the track, sticking to the outside as the track team was having their own workout.

“Not nonstop for forty minutes,” he whined.

“Poor you.”

“Yes, very much poor me.”  He glanced at her.  “How are you already okay?”

She shrugged.  “Quick recovery time.”  And the ability to hide the pain of the cramps that were stabbing into her side and calves, but he didn’t need to know that.

They finished their lap slowly with Pete insisting on slowing down every ten yards, then went back inside to find Artie.

-oOo-

“Hey, Artie,” Pete said as they walked into the Room freshly showered and in their normal clothes.  Artie had made them spar a few times before letting them get cleaned.  They were both sore and tired but had still joked with each other the entire time to and from the locker rooms.  “We have a question.”

“What?” the man absently replied.  He was rapidly typing on one of the desktops.

“What’s going to happen when I have practice this time next semester?”

Artie looked up at them, his fingers pausing on the keyboard.  When he spoke, his voice held an impatient tone.  “You’re going to have to choose.”

“Between this and my sports?” Pete questioned.  “That’s not a choice I can make, man.”

“Not between this and sports,” Artie sighed.  “Which days you go where.  Talk to me, talk to your coaches, figure it out.  You’re old enough to make your own decisions.”

Surprised, Pete looked at Myka, who shrugged.

“So,” she slowly started, “the fencing I now have Tuesdays after school?”

Artie watched her for a moment.  “You’ll only miss one of our sessions a week?”

She nodded.

“Go to fencing.  Pete will fill you in on anything new you miss.”

“I have to trust Pete with notes?”

Artie rolled his eyes.  “Yes.  Now, go.  Make sure you finish your reading.”  He looked back at the computer and started to type again.

“Yes, mister boss man, sir,” Pete muttered as they turned back to the door.  They grabbed their bags as they passed their desks.

“You better take good notes tomorrow,” Myka said once they had left the Room.  Leena was leaning against the wall, waiting for them.

“I’ll try, but no promises,” Pete replied.

Myka groaned.

“You can borrow the notes I took last year,” Leena told her.

“Thank you so much,” Myka said.

“It’s no problem.  Artie’s probably going to make Pete review anyway.”

“Joy,” Pete muttered, then brightened slightly.  “What did you do while we were enjoying the fresh air?”

“Stuff you will do next year,” Leena simply answered as they walked up the stairs to the main floor.

Pete groaned.  “I wanna know.”

“You will, next year.”

“All we do is spar and run and learn about dead places.”  He held a hand out towards Myka as she started to protest.  “They’re dead places, Mykes, you can’t convince me otherwise.”

“Be happy with what you’re doing now,” Leena said.  “You won’t be finished with it just because you’ll have other stuff.”

Pete groaned again.  He stepped ahead of the girls and opened the door for them.  Leena thanked him and Myka gave him a small smile.

“Next year is gunna suck,” he whined.  “Harder classes, more training, varsity teams.”

“You’re going to love it,” Myka laughed.

He grinned.  “Yeah.”

“Do either of you want a ride?” Leena asked as she stopped at the parking lot.  “I got a car over the weekend.”

“I’d love one,” Pete replied.

“Thanks, but I’d rather walk,” Myka said.  “I’ll see you guys Wednesday.”

They watched her take a few steps backwards, then turn and continue down the sidewalk.  Pete turned to Leena.

“Sorry, I can’t let her walk alone,” he said.

“I understand, Pete,” Leena said.  “Have a good night.”

“You too.”  He turned the way Myka had gone, gave a wry smile, and chased after her.  She hadn’t gotten far and was absently kicking a rock ahead of her.

“It was just a ride,” he said as he stepped next to her.  “Nothing bad could of come from it.”

She shrugged.  “I’d just rather spend as little time at home as possible.”

She went to kick the rock again but Pete reached ahead of her and kicked it instead.

“Hey!” she protested.  He laughed and kicked the rock again when she went for it.

“Gotta be faster than that, Bering,” he teased.

She laughed as they shoved against one another to get the next kick.

-oOo-

Pete rubbed his eyes after reading a sentence about Cleopatra – for the fourth time.  He looked over at the desk next to his.  It was just weird seeing it empty.

He shook his head slightly, it was even weirder how quickly he had gotten used to having Myka around.  He turned to where Artie and Leena were working on one of the desktops.

“How long do I have to read this?” he whined.

“Until I say you can stop,” Artie replied without turning to him.

Pete huffed and slumped back in his seat.  He hadn’t thought reading days could get any more boring.  He had been wrong.  Without Myka he didn’t have anyone to bother when he was about to fall asleep.

He sat up straight when a clicking noise sounded from his right.  He turned but only saw the bookcases.  He watched for a few moments before turning back to his book.

His attention didn’t stay on it long, however, as it was dragged away when Leena suddenly spun around in her chair.

“What?” Artie grumbled.

Leena didn’t respond.  Her gaze was locked on one of the bookcases.  Before they could question her, she stood and walked towards it.

Leena tilted her head slightly when she reached the end of the bookcase.  “Can we help you?” she asked.

Pete jumped when a figure ran from behind the bookcase and towards the door.  They nearly slammed into the door as they missed the handle.  When they got it open, however, Mrs. Fredric was on the other side.  The person froze and Pete got his first good look.

It was a girl, most likely a freshman by the size of her.  Her red hair was cut short and her black jeans were frayed at the ends.

“How did you get in here?” Mrs. Fredric asked.

“Through the door,” the girl replied with a ‘duh’ tone.

“That door is locked.  You can’t get in without a key,” Artie spluttered.

The girl turned to him and laughed.  “If you say so.  Listen, can I go?  I only came here cause I was dared to.  I got the pictures I need, so I’ll just skiddadle out of your hair.”

“What is your name?” Mrs. Fredric asked.

The girl turned back to her with no fear on her face.  “Claudia Donovan.”

“Come with me, Ms. Donovan.”

The girl, Claudia, seemed ready to protest but the look Mrs. Fredric gave her stopped her.

Pete watched as the two walked down the hall.  When the door swung closed, he turned to Artie with a confused expression.

“Back to your reading,” Artie barked.

Pete groaned and slumped back down.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sorry I'm late," Myka said as she walked into the Room. "I had to talk to Mr. Reynolds after class."

She put her bag on her desk then flopped into one of the armchairs. Pete was in the chair next to her. He sat sideways with his legs hanging over one of the arms.

"You're not late," Pete scoffed. "Just not as early as usual."

"Artie isn't even here yet," Leena added.

"He is now," Artie said from the door. They all turned to him and were surprised to see the girl walking in with him.

Pete leaned towards Myka. "That's the girl I told you about," he hissed. "The one who broke in last Tuesday."

She nodded and eyed the girl. Her hair was messy, cut short, and a dark purple streak went down one side. Her black jeans were fading to grey and starting to go threadbare; a look Myka wasn't sure was intentional or not. Her hoodie was baggy and solid green. She stood as if she was bored, but her gaze was locked onto the computers in the back corner.

"Leena, Pete, I'm sure you remember Claudia Donovan," Artie said. "She's going to be joining us from now on."

Myka held in a smirk at Artie's tone. He was obviously not happy about the development.

"Pete, Myka, take her out on a run. Ten minutes out, ten minutes back," Artie told them.

Claudia finally looked away from the computers and stared at Artie.

"Running?" she protested. "I don't run."

"You do now," Artie told her.

"I thought this was a job training thing."

"It is and you may need to run on the job."

"Can I opt out?"

"After a month you can leave the program."

Claudia huffed and crossed her arms.

Pete swung out of his chair and meandered towards the door. "Let's go, ladies," he said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Pete," Myka groaned as she followed him.

Claudia sent a final look at Artie then followed as well.

"So," she drawled once they were down the hall. "Are we actually going to run?"

"Yes," Myka answered.

"Aww, c'mon, Mykes," Pete whined, dragging his feet up the stairs.

"No. He has us doing this for a reason and it's probably a good one," she said.

"Fine," Pete huffed.

"Wow," Claudia laughed. "I see who wears the pants in this relationship."

Myka stopped dead, her hand tightly gripped around the stair railing. "What?"

"He's totally whipped, right? I mean, the entire school knows you guys are a thing but I don't think anyone could have guessed that  _you_ are the man."

"I am plenty man," Pete complained, but Myka spoke over him.

"Pete and I are not together."

"Sure you aren't," Claudia said with a knowing smirk.

Myka looked towards Pete for help. He shrugged. She rolled her eyes and looked at Claudia again.

"We're really not together," she insisted.

"If you say so," Claudia grinned.

"At least they don't think we're just sleeping together anymore," Pete said.

"You're not helping," Myka told him.

"People are gunna talk, Mykes, just let them," he replied.

Claudia looked back and forth between them. She let out a 'huh.'

"There's really nothing going on between you two, is there?" she questioned.

"Absolutely nothing," Myka said. "Now, can we go on our run?"

"Yeah, about that," Claudia muttered as they started up the stairs again. "I don't have any clothes to run in."

"We can just stop by the PE lockers and you can use those for today," Pete said.

"Don't have PE clothes yet," she told him. "I just moved here."

Pete turned and looked at her. "That explains so much," he said.

"Explains what?" she asked.

"Why we didn't recognize you," Myka told her. "Small town, small school."

Claudia's nose crinkled. "That sucks."

Myka shrugged slightly, not saying that she knew  _exactly_  how much it sucked. "I have spare clothes you can run in," she told Claudia.

The girl grimaced. "I really have to run?"

"You really do," Myka replied.

"Uggg, fine."

-oOo-

Claudia was leaning heavily on Myka as they walked back into the school. She was limping slightly and winced every time she put pressure on her left foot.

"I'm never running again," she whined as Myka helped her into the locker room and sat her on a bench.

"You'll be fine," Myka told her as she turned to her locker to get Claudia's clothes. "The pain will be gone in a day or two, if that."

"You think if I just keep limping Artie will let me get out of running?"

Myka turned around and shook her head. She handed Claudia her clothes.

"Figured as much."

Myka smirked. She watched Claudia for a few moments. The girl was awkwardly holding the clothes. "I'll wait outside."

Claudia looked at her gratefully.

Pete was leaning against the wall when Myka left the hallway.

"She okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine," she replied. "Did you see what she tripped on?"

Pete shook his head.

"Maybe if she had actual running shoes, instead of those ratty Vans," Myka continued.

"Give her a break," Pete told her.

Myka glanced at him but didn't get a chance to say anything as Claudia limped out.

"Aren't you two going to change?" she asked.

"We spar after our runs," Pete replied.

"Speaking of which, we should head back to the Room before he realizes we aren't back yet," Myka said.

They walked down the hallway in silence for a few moments, then Claudia spoke up. "You  _spar_?"

"You know, fighting, but not…"

"Yeah, I know what sparing is," she cut him off, then looked at Myka. "You ever win?"

"Does she ever win?" Pete scoffed as they turned out of the athletic hallway. Claudia looked at him again. "My girl here wins half of our matches, at least." He draped his arm over Myka's shoulders but she quickly ducked away.

"You smell," she quickly informed him.

He lifted his arm, stuck his nose into his armpit, and took a deep breath. "Smell of man," he declared.

"Yeah, a dead man left to rot for a week," Myka shot at him.

He grinned at her. "I try."

She just rolled her eyes.

"You can really beat him?" Claudia asked her.

She nodded and tried not to blush at the attention.

"How? I mean, he's almost twice your size."

"And, I wrestle," Pete added.

The look Claudia gave Myka could only be called one of admiration. Myka dropped her head forward and shrugged.

"You'll be able to do it too if you train," she brushed it off. She stepped forward and opened the door to the basement. She didn't notice Pete leaning towards Claudia.

"She's really good," he whispered. "Like, scary good. You'll see."

She did see about thirty minutes later as she sat in one of the desks, Leena completely failing at her task to keep Claudia's attention on the book in front of her. Instead, Claudia was focused on the way Pete and Myka moved around each other.

"How long have they been fighting together?" she asked Leena.

The older girl put her pen down and looked at the sparing pair.

"About a month and a half now," Leena told her.

"That's it?"

Leena hummed.

Claudia looked away from the fight and rested her head sideways on her arm. She looked at Leena with questioning eyes.

"Do you have a partner?"

Leena raised an eyebrow. Claudia's eyes grew wide and she blushed.

"Not like that," she stuttered. "I meant in the program. I mean, if you do have that type of partner it's cool, totally double rainbow all the way but it's not what I meant and….yeah."

Leena chuckled. "I know what you meant," she said. "And no, I don't have one. We're all brought here for different reasons. Pete and Myka will probably be working together, so they're training together."

"So you'll be working alone?"

"Most likely."

"Won't that get lonely?"

Leena laughed lightly. "Work alone, not be alone. You prefer working alone, don't you?"

Claudia shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"You don't have a partner either. Not yet, at least."

"I don't wanna work with anyone," Claudia mumbled.

"Do you really think Myka wanted to work with Pete at first?"

"What? They're like best friends or something."

Leena shook her head with a laugh. "They hated each other."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. They barely got through each session civilly until a few weeks ago."

They both looked at the sparring mats as a triumphant cry sounded, quickly followed by laughter. Myka had Pete pinned. As they watched, she got off of him and helped him up.

"Four-two me, Lattimer," she said.

"I'm going easy on you," he objected.

"You wish you were."

He stuck his tongue out at her and she quickly returned the gesture.

Claudia turned back to Leena when Artie cut into the teasing and barked at them to pay attention.

"Yeah, they can't stand each other at all," Claudia drawled. She slumped back into her seat. "If they hated each other, how are they so chummy now?"

Leena shrugged. "No idea," she said in a tone that told Claudia to drop the topic. "Now, the valley of the Nile was uninhabitable until people started to clear it and install irrigation systems…"

Claudia's head fell to the desk as Leena continued to talk about Egypt.

-oOo-

"How are you getting home?" Myka asked Claudia as the group walked out of the school.

Claudia, hands in her pockets and head down, shrugged. "Walking."

"Where do you live?" Leena asked her.

"Greenhill."

Pete and Myka glanced at each other over her head. Greenhill was often considered the worst area of Jefferson. It was at the very edge of town and the houses were mostly run down, single stories. The few crimes that actually occurred in the town, mostly break ins, usually were in Greenhill.

"Let me give you a ride," Leena said, jerking her head towards the parking lot.

"I'll be fine," Claudia brushed her off.

"Greenhill's five miles out," Myka cut in. "It would be dark by the time you got there  _without_  a hurt ankle."

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

Leena stepped in front of her and stopped. "I'm not letting you walk five miles on an injured ankle and I am definitely not letting you walk it in the dark."

Claudia held herself straighter as if preparing to protest but her weight shifted onto her bad ankle. Her face screwed up in pain and she folded into herself slightly.

"Fine," she muttered.

Leena nodded and turned to Pete and Myka. "You two want to join?"

Pete glanced at Myka, who raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly, then shook his head. "We'll be fine, but thanks."

"Alright, have a good night."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Mykes won't, cause she gets to go sword fight."

"Shut up, Pete," Myka groaned. She took a step down the sidewalk. "C'mon, we have to get going." She turned, said goodbye, and started walking.

Pete waved at the two girls and followed her.

Claudia watched them go. Pete shoved Myka slightly with his shoulder and she playfully pushed back.

"They hated each other?" she skeptically asked Leena.

Leena just nodded. "My car's this way."

-oOo-

"That's my house," Claudia quietly said as she pointed about halfway down the block.

Leena nodded and slowed the car down to stop in front of the house. It was small, one story just like the others on the street, but it looked nicer than its neighbors and the yard was a deep green with the exception of the patch under a slightly rusted station wagon.

Leena looked from the house to Claudia, who was going through her bag. The girl's face was set but Leena could practically see the anxiety coming off of her.

"You okay?" she quietly asked.

Claudia's head jerked up, her eyes wide. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. One hundred percent a-okay."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

Claudia nodded rapidly and opened the door. "Yeah, umm, tomorrow." She slipped slightly as she got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

"It's not a problem. I can drive you home every night if you want."

"That would be awesome, actually."

"Alright."

Claudia nodded and shut the door. Leena drove off and an odd mixture of relief and dread filled Claudia as she watched the taillights vanish.

"Fuck," she groaned as she let her head fall back. She turned around and started to walk down the street.

She kicked a soda can that lay on the sidewalk. It rolled a few feet then hit a rock and stopped. She stepped on it as she passed and flicked it over the curb.

Turning around as she walked, she looked down the way Leena – with her curly hair and her pale eyes and her adorable smile –had vanished in her car and sighed.

The last thing she needed was something that could get her moved again and, even more than that, she needed it to not be the reason she had just been moved.

"Fuck," she said again as she turned up the driveway of another house, this one not quite as nice as the one she had gotten out at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Cleena.  
> And, apparently, my best motivator is exam week and an essay due in ten hours. Yup


	9. Chapter 9

“So, I was thinking,” Pete started, scaring Myka slightly as he leaned heavily on the locker next to hers.

“New experience for you?” Myka absently commented.  She pulled a lip between her teeth as she rifled through her backpack and went through her mental list of what she needed to take home.

“Funny enough, it was,” he replied.  “I was thinking that you, Leena, and Claudia should come over to my place over break to hang out and stuff.”

Myka slid her math book into her bag then turned to him.  “That’s actually a good idea.”

“A lot of my ideas are good.”

“If you say so.”

She zipped her bag and closed her locker.  Pete pushed himself off of the wall.

“So, what do you say?” Pete pushed as they started to walk down the hall.  “I already cleared it with my mom and everything.”

“I’ll ask tonight, no promises though.”

“What, your dad might not let you hang with the guy he thinks is boning you?  Say it ain’t so.”

She glared at him.  “It’s not funny, Pete.”

He sobered.  “It bad right now?”

Dropping her head to stare at the floor, she shook her head and shrugged.  “He tends to chill out after something happens.”

He draped an arm over her shoulder.  She shook it off as they turned a corner, then froze when they nearly ran into Kurt Smoller.

Pete moved before Myka had the chance to so much as gasp.  He pushed her slightly behind her and stepped between her and Kurt.

Kurt smirked and continued walking.  Pete followed his path, keeping himself between them.

“Pete won’t always be around to protect you,” Kurt said.  He stared at Myka over Pete’s shoulder.  Her chest grew heavy as his cold eyes bore into her.  “And you’re mine when he isn’t.  You have a lot more than Mike to pay for now.”

He leered at her as he turned around the corner, the bruising around his nose making the look more intimidating.  Pete watched him for a few moments then turned to Myka.

She was blankly staring at where Kurt had been when he had spoken.   She was shaking slightly and her breathing was ragged.  He set a hand on her shoulder but pulled away when she jumped slightly.  Her gaze dropped to the ground.

“Hey,” he softly said, ducking in an attempt to catch her eyes.  “I won’t let him hurt you, okay?”

She looked up at him and nodded slightly.

His mouth slanted into a small smile.  “C’mon, before Artie gets here and nags at us for being late.”

He stuck close to her as they finished walking to the Room.  He could feel the fear that clung to her, and by the way Leena’s head snapped up as they entered the room, he wasn’t the only one.

Myka curled up in an armchair and pulled a book from her bag.  Leena walked to Pete as he set his bag on his desk.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he replied.  He sat heavily, his eyes constantly flicking to Myka.

“Something happened,” she pushed.

He looked up at her.

“Nothing happened.”

They stared at each other for a few moments.  Then, with a slight tilt of her head, she turned away.  Pete relaxed in the chair and glanced at Myka again.  She was watching him gratefully.

They both looked away when the door opened.  Artie hustled inside and made his way to the table by the armchairs.  He quickly sorted himself out then turned to them.

"As I was only informed _yesterday,_ ” Artie leveled a glare at Pete whose expression turned questioning, “that you are all on break next week, there has been an adjustment.  We will review Egypt the rest of this week, and you will begin your reading on the Sumer civilization over break."

"You're giving us homework over Spring Break?" Pete complained.

"Yes."

"But Spring Break is supposed to be a time to relax."

"You can relax once your reading is done."

"Aww, man."  Pete groaned and dropped his head onto his desk.

-oOo-

Myka slowly walked up the aisle.  Her mom was focused almost entirely on shelving new inventory.  When she didn’t react to the loud creek of the loose floorboard beneath Myka’s feet, however, it became obvious that she was aware of Myka’s presence.

“Mom?” Myka slowly said.

Jeannie slid the next book onto the shelf.  “What is it, Myka?”

Myka rubbed her leg with the opposite foot.  “Some friends asked if I could study with them over break.  I wanted to know if it was alright.”

It wasn’t a lie, the studying.  Pete – shock to them all – had suggested it when he had brought the idea up to Leena and Claudia.

Jeannie stopped, a book half raised, and glanced at Myka.  She looked at her daughter with an odd expression.

“It’s on Tuesday,” Myka continued, “so I won’t miss a shift, and Leena will be picking me up and bringing me back, and we’re gathering at her place.”

Myka let out a shaky breath.

“Please, Mom, we were given a lot of reading to do over break.”

Jeannie regarded her daughter for a few moments.  “I’ll talk to you father about it,” she finally said.

Myka’s shoulders fell slightly and her stomach clenched, but she nodded.  “Okay,” she said.

Her mom returned to the books and Myka turned and left the shop.

Three hours later she was curled up in the space between the foot of her bed and the bookshelf.  Her current novel sat unread in her lap, her thumb absently flicking the corner of the next page.

She had yet to hear what her father’s response was going to be.  She might as well give up hope.  There was no way he would let her go.  She could already see Pete’s pitying look.

She closed the book and set it on the shelf.  She let her head fall back onto the pillow between her and the wall.

There was a part of her that couldn’t help but see going to Pete’s that night as a mistake.

Sure, it had been the only option she had thought of, but she could barely stand the way he had treated her since.  The way he looked at her now, like she was some abused puppy, grated at her.  The way he often seemed to tiptoe around her pissed her off.  Don’t even get her started on the fact that he seemed to believe that he was her protector.

Her mind went back to the confrontation with Kurt and how easily Pete had pushed her back while she had just frozen up.

Was that going to be her fate?  Standing by helplessly, frozen in fear as Pete saved her.  Was Pete always going to be the stereotypical ‘knight in shining armor’ to her ‘damsel in distress?’

Then, another part of her pushed in and asked if she really minded.  Why would it be so bad to have someone on her side?

Knocking on the door pulled her from her thoughts.  She stood and sat on the end of her bed as the door opened and her father walked in.

“Your mother told me that you want to study with some friends over break.”

She nodded, her entire body tense.

He stared at her for a moment.  “You can go, but you will be home by curfew.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she quietly said, making sure to keep her voice neutral.

He nodded and left, closing her door behind him.

Myka stared at the door then fell sideways on her bed and rolled onto her back.

She grinned at the ceiling.  He said yes.

-oOo-

When she was little, Myka had saved her allowance for a month until she had been able to afford a pack of glow-in-the-dark star stickers.  She had found a book on horoscopes and memorized everything about her sign, Scorpio.  She had been obsessed; reading her horoscope every day in the paper; drawing the tailed ‘M’ on everything; even researching lobsters.

One day, she had taken those stickers, put her desk chair on her bed, and recreated the constellation on the ceiling over her pillow.

It had taken her father five weeks to notice.

That had been the first time he had really lost it.

She had been eight and seven months – as she had been so proud to say to her mirror every morning – and not a single person had noticed that she barely left her room for the three weeks until her bruises had healed.  Once they were gone, he had taken her to the ice cream shop.  She had ignored the way the large sundae had made her stomach queasy and the fact that she flinched every time he had moved suddenly because he was spending time with her, talking to her, smiling at her.

For those three weeks, however – and any time after when she had to block out everything else – she just stared at the pale green stains left on the ceiling when her father had torn down her hard work.

After nearly seven years, the stains had faded slightly but she still saw them clearly as ever as she lay on her bed Easter Sunday.

The characteristics that horoscope book had said she should have rolled through her mind.  Nine of them; one for each star he had torn down.

Ambitious

Fearless

Loyal

Observant

Obsessive

Passionate

Poised

Resourceful

Secretive

The inclusion of fearless was why it had been so easy for her to dismiss horoscopes as nonsense.

She wasn’t fearless.

She fled the house whenever her father’s temper grew to be too much.  She shrunk beneath the eyes of her peers at school.  The thought of Kurt finding her without Pete sent fear shooting through her.

She moved her arm so it covered her eyes but the green shone on her eyelids.

The thought of Pete abandoning her to Kurt’s mercy was even worse.

Logically, she knew Pete would never do that.  He had kept Kurt from hurting her once already, before she had broken down and told him about her father.  He hadn’t left after she had broken down.

The memories, though, haunted her.  Memories of Pete suddenly appearing in class and her hopes of one kid who wasn’t going to torment her being quickly dashed.  Memories of his merciless taunting all throughout middle school.  The names, looks, shoves, and painful notes were all carved into her memory.

Now, that boy had become her friend.

She still wasn’t sure how she felt about everything but she did know one thing for sure.   After years of being alone, she finally had someone who wasn’t out to hurt her, someone who just might keep her safe.

And she was terrified of scaring him away.

-oOo-

Myka slid out of the backseat of Leena’s car.  She grabbed her bag, closed the door, and leaned back against it as Claudia got out of the passenger’s seat.

“That is a nice house,” Claudia commented.

“It is,” Myka agreed.

“You been here before?”

Myka nodded.  Her mind flashed to that night; the rain that had soaked her through; the defeat she had felt; the way she had broken down in front of Pete.  She shook her head slightly to get rid of the thoughts.

“Bet it’s just as nice inside.”

“It is,” Myka murmured as Leena rounded the car and walked up the driveway.  Myka and Claudia followed her closely.

Pete’s mom answered a few moments after Leena knocked on the door.

“Hey, girls, come on in,” she said then walked back into the house.  “The living rooms’ right through there,” she told them, pointing at the room to the left of the door.  She went up the first few steps of the stairs against the wall between the hall and living room.  “Pete, they’re here.”

The girls moved into the living room as loud thuds came from above them.  Pete spun into the room a few moments later.

“Sweet.  Now, let’s get this party started!” he grinned.

“Study first,” Jane called from the kitchen, one room over.

Pete groaned.  “But, Mom!”

She appeared in the entrance to the kitchen.  “If you don’t get it over with now, it won’t happen,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Pete’s shoulders slouched slightly.  “Fine.  I’ll go get my books.”

Myka wondered further into the room as he went back upstairs, his mom following him up.  Myka quickly claimed the armchair in the corner, next to the large window that let them see the front yard and street.  She set her bag on the floor next to her as Claudia and Leena spread their work across the coffee table that sat in the middle of the room.

“Really?” Pete questioned when he returned.  His nose crinkled as he looked at them.  “You guys are already working?”

“Nah, just setting up,” Claudia told him.

“Good, I wanna show you around.”  He dropped his books onto the couch cushion closest to the seat Myka had claimed.  He held a hand out towards her.  “On your feet, time for the Lattimer nickel tour.”

She eyed his hand then reluctantly took it and let him pull her up.

“To the kitchen!” he announced.

“It’s just a kitchen,” Myka grumbled.

“It’s more than _just a kitchen,_ ” Pete retorted.  “It’s my haven, my sanctuary, my home away from home.”

“It’s in your home,” Claudia told him.

“I know, I was on a roll,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, it’s a nice kitchen,” Leena said.

“Wait, dude, is that a pool?” Claudia gasped, crossing the kitchen to look through the window over the sink.

“Yup.  It’s covered now, but my mom will probably open it next month.”

“Legit, man.”

They finished the tour quickly and, after grabbing drinks, returned to the living room.  They had just settled when Pete’s mom came down the stairs.  She buttoned her coat as she peered into the living room.

“I’m going to be gone for a few hours.  I ordered pizza for you guys, one half cheese/half pepperoni, the other cheeseburger; it should be here in half an hour.  Don’t burn the house down.”  She left after finishing her list.

“Cheeseburger pizza?” Myka questioned.

“Deliciousness in a triangle,” Pete replied.

“Pizzas are circled,” Claudia said.

“But the slices are triangles,” he defended himself.

“I will never understand your logic,” she lamented.

-oOo-

“Why are you still making us study?” Pete whined.

He leaned back onto the edge of the couch and away from the book in front of him.  Any more Sumerian mathematic advances, and his brain was going to implode.  He looked towards Myka, who was in the armchair and curled around a book.

“Making you study, actually,” Myka replied, not looking up from the book, “and because I know you won’t otherwise.”

“I was planning on it,” he protested as he stretched up and grabbed the last slice of pizza from the box on the couch.

“Mm-hm,” Myka hummed.

Claudia snorted.  She was kneeling next to the table, where Leena was teaching her about Bastet.  Pete stuck his pizza-covered tongue out at her and she returned the gesture sans-pizza.

“I don’t wanna study anymore,” he continued.  “Why do I even need to know that these people were the first to find the volume of a triangle?”

“Do you know how to find the volume of a triangle?” Claudia asked.

Pete glared and pointed at her.  “Don’t start.  I will destroy you.”

“Keep reading, Pete,” Myka absently said.

“Me?  What about her?” he gestured wildly at Claudia then took another bite.  “Esis, I hin mi hin iss oop.”

“Your mind is not goop.”

Claudia looked at Myka in awe.  “How did you?” she questioned.

Myka just shrugged.

“Es aa-ic,” Pete proclaimed around another mouthful.

“It’s not magic,” Myka countered.

“How about we study for the next thirty minutes, then do whatever you want, Pete,” Leena suggested, speaking up before the conversation went any further.

Myka shrugged again, still not looking up.  “Fine.”

Pete swallowed.  “If I have to,” he groaned.

He made a show of setting the alarm on his phone and setting in on the couch.  He stuffed the pizza crust into his mouth, grabbed his book, and flipped to the next section, ‘Military and Warfare.’  He settled back, hoping that it was more interesting than math.

Who was he kidding?  Anything was more interesting than math.

Still, he expected to be checking his phone every few minutes.  Instead, and he would never, _ever,_ tell Myka, he found himself interested.  How could he not; they had the first recorded war and all.

He jumped when the alarm went off, but quickly pushed his book to the side and leapt to his feet.  He grabbed his phone and turned the alarm off.

“Video game time,” he announced as he walked to the entertainment center.

“Oooh, whatcha got?” Claudia asked, coming up behind him.

He opened a set of doors, revealing shelves of games.  “Take your pick.”

She started to go through them.  Pete turned around and groaned.  Myka was still engrossed in her book.  He walked to her and pulled it from her hands.

“Pete!”

“Nuh-uh, study times’ over.  You can read,” he looked at the book,” HG Wells?  Man, you weren’t actually studying.”

She grabbed the book and cradled it to her chest.  “I finished what Artie assigned over the weekend,” she explained with a shrug.

“So you kept reading?”

“HG Wells is my favorite,” she softly said, her fingers lightly rubbing the spine of the book.  “He helps me escape.”

He was ready to say something deep and comforting but the excited noise Claudia made stopped him.

“You have Rayman?” Claudia exclaimed.

“That’s what you wanna play?” Pete asked.

“Chya.”

Pete grinned and crossed the room to set up the game.  Claudia practically bounced back to her seat next to Leena.

“What’s Rayman?” Leena asked her.

Myka tuned out Claudia’s explanation and turned back to her book.  She was just about to lose herself in the story when the book was yanked away again and a game controller was thrust into her hands.

“I swear, Pete,” she growled.  “What do you want?”

“It’s game time,” he told her as he put her book on the table.  “Not reading time.”

“I don’t play video games.”

“C’mon, it’s fun.  All four of us can play.”

She looked past him to see Claudia and Leena testing their controls.

“I don’t know.  I’ve never used on of these.”  She shook the controller.

“You’ll pick it up in no time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part will hopefully be up soon, it was supposed to be the other half of this one, but this is already the longest chapter yet.
> 
> Shout-out to Massivenerdywarehouse for beta-ing!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions past child abuse
> 
> Hope you're in for a long haul this time. This will most likely be the longer chapter, about 2,000 words longer than the previous longest one.  
> Big thanks to Massivenerdywarehouse on tumblr for betaing.

Myka was pleased to discover that Pete was right.  While she wasn’t amazing, she didn’t utterly suck either.  She could at least keep up with the others.

They played for nearly an hour before Pete’s stomach protested loudly.  He declared it ‘food time’ and marched to the kitchen.  By the time the girls reacted and followed him, he had already covered the counter in bags of chips and packs of cookies.

“Ya know,” Claudia said.  “I don’t think there’s quite enough.”

“You think?” Pete questioned.

“No,” Myka said.  She picked up a case of Oreos and crinkled her nose.  “Do you know what’s in this stuff?”

“Don’t care,” he drawled as he took the cookies from her.  “Is there anything you actually eat?”

“Real food.”

Pete scoffed.  “There’s fruit in the fridge... I think.”

Myka rolled her eyes and opened the fridge.  Leena walked up behind her and they both started to search.

“Second to bottom drawer,” Pete absently told them as he and Claudia gathered up the food on the counter.

“Just hurry up so we can watch a movie,” Claudia said as they walked back into the living room.

“That food is going to kill them one day,” Myka muttered.

“They’ll be fine,” Leena chuckled.

Myka huffed and passed Leena a bag of apples.  “You want some pears or…mangos?  They have mangos.  Who has mangos?”

“Just bring it all, they may eat it if it’s there.”

Myka cocked her head to the side and pulled the rest of the fruit from the fridge.  “You really think that’ll work?”

Leena shrugged as she took the food.  “Maybe.”

They walked back to the living room to find Pete and Claudia already digging into their food.

“You two are missing out,” Claudia said through a mouthful of Doritos.

Leena smiled at her as she put the fruit in her arms on the table, grabbed a bag of Ruffles, and settled on the couch next to Claudia.

Pete raised another bag out for Myka.  She just rolled her eyes, took a few apples and returned to the armchair.  He shrugged and sat on the floor so he was facing them.

“What do you wanna do now?” Leena asked.

Pete turned to Myka.  “No more studying.”

She narrowed her eyes but relented.  She reached down to the floor and picked up her book.

“And no reading for you, either,” he continued.

“Why not?”

“Cause you gotta socialize.”

“I just played a video game with you for an hour.”

“C’mon, Myka,” Claudia cut in.

Myka groaned and put the book back down.  “Fine.”

“Oh, so you’ll do it for her,” Pete teased.

“Don’t push me, Lattimer,” Myka said, jabbing her finger in his direction.

He raised his hands in surrender, then pointed at all of them.

“Alright, middle names,” he said.

“What?” Claudia questioned.

“Middle names, what are they?” he pressed.

“Why?” Myka asked.

He shrugged.  “Does it matter why?”

“Glenn,” Claudia blurted.

Pete’s head fell to the side.  “Glenn.  Claudia Glenn Donovan.  It works.”

“I’m guessing that’s why my parents chose it.”

He dipped his head in acknowledgement and turned to the other two.  “C’mon, giv’em up.”

“I don’t have a middle name,” Leena said.

“Me neither,” Myka quickly added.

Pete pointed at her.  “You are lying.”

“I am not.”

“It starts with an O,” Claudia cut in.

Myka stared at her.  “How do you know that?”

Claudia just shrugged.

“O…O…O,” Pete muttered.  “Olivia?”

“What?  No.”

“Olive?  Olive…Oil?”

“No, stop it.”

“C’mon,” he whined.

“No.  How bout we watch a movie?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Leena said.  “What do you have?”

“They’re in the cabinets,” Pete said as he stood up.  “This isn’t over,” he told Myka.

“It is,” she replied.

“You wish, Olga.”

Her nose crinkled.  “Olga?  Really.”

“It’s not like there are many O names.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Go pick a movie.”

She leaned back into the armchair as he went to join Claudia and Leena.

It was odd how something as small and unimportant as a middle name made her stop and think.  Nobody had ever cared about her middle name before.

“Hey, Myka, Nightmare on Elm Street?” Pete asked.

“Whatever you guys want.”

“You’re not gunna get scared?”

She scoffed.  “I’ll be fine.”

Pete shrugged and walked to the TV to put the movie in.  He quickly set it up and returned to his spot on the floor.  He leaned back against the couch and started the movie.

Freddy was in the middle of killing the first girl – the one who went off to have sex, naturally – when Myka slid off of the chair.  She grabbed a pillow from the couch and clenched it to her chest as she scooted to Pete’s side.

“I thought you said you weren’t gunna get scared,” he whispered.

“Shut up,” she hissed.  She buried her face in the pillow as the girl was dragged up the wall.  Pete didn’t say anything else when her hand found his and squeezed tightly.

-oOo-

Jane figured that she was going to find Pete and Myka passed out quite often now that they were friends.

 Still, she hadn’t expected to come home to a house full of sleeping teenagers.  At least she had known the girls were in the house this time, and they were in the living room, not Pete’s room.

She leaned against the entrance to the room and watched them for a moment.

Leena and Claudia were sleeping on the couch.  Leena was against the far armrest.  One of her legs was stretched along the extended cushion while the other hung to the floor.  Claudia had pushed between Leena and the back of the couch.  She was curled up with one hand fisting part of Leena’s shirt.

Pete and Myka were on the floor beneath them.  Pete was reclining on the couch, drool rolling down the side of his chin.  Myka was curled with her back against the couch, head resting on a pillow just inches from Pete, and a blanket draped over her.

The room was flashing with light from the TV.  Jane stepped into the room and glanced towards the device.  The menu screen from Lion King was playing, muted, on the screen.

She walked towards Pete and nudged his foot with hers.

“Pete,” she said.  He mumbled slightly.  “Pete,” she repeated, louder and with a harder nudge.

He jolted awake with a gasping “I don’t believe in you.”  Breathing heavy, he looked around until he saw her.  His body relaxed.  “Mom.  You I believe in.”

“Well, that’s good,” she deadpanned.  “You need to wake them up.”  She jerked her head towards the girls.

Pete looked around, confused.  “Why?”

“They need to call their parents to ask if they can stay the night.  It’s almost curfew and I would prefer them not out in this weather.”

“What weather?”

The flash of lightning and accompanying thunder answered for her.

“Gotcha.”

He got to his feet and stretched as Jane walked to the kitchen.  He regarded the three girls, then started to shake Leena’s leg.

She woke easily and gave him a questioning look.

“My mom wants you all to call you parents.  It’s getting late and it’s storming, so she thinks it’s best if we turn this into a sleepover.”  He rubbed some sleep from his eye as he yawned through the last few words.

Leena looked at the clock and nodded.  “I’ll wake Claudia if you wake Myka.”

Pete grinned.

“Nicely,” Leena quickly added.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he muttered as he crouched next to Myka.

Leena watched him for a moment, and then focused on Claudia.  She shifted slightly, trying to move so Claudia was trying to burrow behind her.  Claudia just moved with her and tightened her grip around Leena’s shirt. 

Leena took a deep breath and focused.  The colors around Claudia became clear.  Thick tendrils of black marred the darkening colors.

Claudia mumbled under her breath then whined slightly.  The colors around her faded as Leena’s focus vanished.

Instead, Leena quickly shook Claudia awake.  The girl woke almost instantly and, once she regained her bearings, pushed away from Leena until she was on the other end of the couch.  Her eyes were wide and her face pale with what looked like fear.

Before Leena could question her, however, a yelp from the floor distracted them.  Pete, having either ignored Leena’s suggestion or gotten bored of it, had pulled the pillow from beneath Myka’s head.

“I swear,” Myka growled as she stood up.  “I will drop a dictionary on your crotch so many times you won’t work properly down there.”

“I would prefer you didn’t,” Jane said from the entrance to the kitchen.  Her voice was full of amusement at the pained look on Pete’s face.  “I would like grandkids one day.”

Myka blanched and turned to her.

“Mrs. Lattimer,” she stammered.  “I didn’t…I mean…I just…”

“It’s alright,” Jane cut her off.  “Do any of you need to use the landline?”

“For what?” Myka asked.

“To call your parents?”

Myka raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t explain yet, Mom,” Pete said.

“OF course not,” Jane replied.  “It’s raining rather hard right now, and I would feel better if you three stayed here instead of driving home.”

Myka grimaced slightly.  “I’ll need to use the phone,” she said.

Jane nodded and gestured for her to follow.  Pete tried to follow as well after a few moments, but his mother cut him off as she left the kitchen.

“We need to gather pillows to bring down here,” she explained.

He scowled, but went upstairs.  Jane turned to Claudia and Leena.

“Will either of you two need the land line?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” Leena replied while Claudia just shook her head.

Jane nodded and followed Pete’s path.

“Imma go use the bathroom,” Claudia muttered before fleeing.

-oOo-

Myka lightly kicked the wall as she listened to the voice.  Her fingers twisted in the phone cord and she briefly wondered  _why_ the Lattimer’s had a corded phone before she decided it was most likely Pete’s fault.

“She doesn’t want us on the road in this storm,” she said again, hoping it would finally stick.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and slumped against the wall.  “It’s really bad in this part of town, the roads aren’t safe.”

She held her breath as she waited for the lie to be accepted.  Sure, it wasn’t a total lie – Mrs. Lattimer wouldn’t let them leave if it was dangerous – but she was smudging what truth she did know, and not for the first time lately.  She couldn’t let herself fall into that habit.

A small smile crossed her face as she received an affirmative answer.  She said good-bye and hung the phone up, making sure the cord hung straight as she did so.

She walked back into the living room, where Pete and Leena were setting up some pillows.  She hovered in the entrance until Pete noticed her.

“So?” he pushed.

She smiled and nodded.  “I’m allowed to stay.”

Pete cheered.

-oOo-

Claudia slipped her phone into her pocket as the cheer came from the other room.  That most likely meant Myka would be staying, which made all of them.

She rested her hands on the edge of the sink and leaned heavily on them.  She bowed her head and tried to forget the conversation she had just had.

They hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t there and hadn’t even thought about her trying to get back in the storm.  They hadn’t even put her number in their cell phones yet.  The mom hadn’t answered because she ‘doesn’t pick up for strange numbers after eight pm.’

Claudia screwed her eyes closed and counted how long each breath she took was.

One Mississippi in.  One Mississippi out.  One Mississippi in.  One Mississippi out.

It could be worse, she reminded herself, she could still be at her last house.

She forced her mind away from her bad luck with houses.  She was going to spend the night with people she already kinda considered friends.

And Leena.

Her hand still tingled from the way Leena had squeezed it when Claudia had searched for comfort against the movie.  She could still feel Leena’s arm around her from when she had given into her weakness and hidden.  Then she had woken to find herself still curled against Leena, the older girl’s everything intense in her senses.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

It was like Diana all over again.

Why did she always have to do this?  She was going to fuck everything up again.

All because she couldn’t be normal.

Anger coursed through her and she pushed away from the sink.  She would just have to try harder.

If she couldn’t  _be_ normal, she could at least  _act_ normal.

Setting her resolve, she left the bathroom and returned to the living room.

Everyone was already gathered again.  Myka had returned to her book.  Pete was going through the DVDs.  Leena was on the couch, going through her phone.  She looked up when Claudia entered the room.

“Are you staying?” she asked.  Pete flipped around and Myka glanced up.

“Um, yeah, I am.”

Pete whooped.  Claudia ignored how Leena’s smile and the knowledge that she had put it there made her stomach flip.  She sat on the couch, curling up against the arm rest and staying as far from Leena as possible.

“So, truth or dare?” Pete asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Really, clichéd much?” Myka scoffed.

“What?” he questioned.  “It’s classic and you’re reading again.”

She shrugged.  He stepped towards her and made a swipe for the book.  She glared at him as she pressed the book to her chest.

“Stop!”

“C’mon,” he whined.  “You can’t read all night.”

“Not with you constantly interrupting me, I can’t.”

“We’re having a sleepover; you can’t read during a sleepover.”

“Watch me.”

“Ugggg, Myka.”

“At least let me finish this part.  It’s my favorite.”

“Your fav… You’ve already read this?”

A look of incredulity crossed her face.  “Yeah.”

He threw his head back and spun around, hands in the air.

“I give up.”  He turned to the couch.  “What do you two wanna do?”

“We could just watch TV,” Claudia mumbled.

Pete groaned.  “You are all soooo boring.”  He grabbed the remote, then flopped onto the couch between Claudia and Leena.  He turned the TV on and started to scroll through the guide.  “Any requests?”

He rolled his eyes when none of them answered.

“Fine, I’ll chose,” he said in an exaggerated whine.

He quickly navigated through menus until he found something.

“What is this?” Leena asked.

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he told her.  “It branched off from The Avengers.”

“Is that Coulson?” Claudia asked.

“Yup.”

“He died.”

“Yup.”

-oOo-

“Here ya go,” Pete said as he walked back into the room, a pile of clothes in his arms.  He put the clothes onto the table then tossed a shirt and sweatpants to each of the girls.  He had gone upstairs to get the clothes after his mom had come down and told them to go to sleep.

Myka raised her eyebrows when she looked at the shirt she had gotten.  It was the wrestling one she had worn her last night at Pete’s.  Pete watched her until she rolled her eyes and the edge of her mouth quirked up slightly.

“So,” he drawled.  “You can all either use the bathrooms and my room to change and I’ll get stuff out for sundaes, or you can all just change in here and …”

“Go, Pete,” Myka cut him off.

He stuck his tongue out and walked to the kitchen.

“Taking turns in the bathroom?” Claudia said.

“Or we could just all go up to Pete’s room,” Myka suggested.

“You know where his room is?” Claudia questioned.

Myka jerked her head noncommittally.

“You sure you two really aren’t together?”

Myka’s eyes narrowed and she glared at Claudia.  “You can use the bathroom if you’re going to keep bringing that up.”

Claudia just shrugged and left the room.  Myka turned to Leena as the bathroom door closed.

“You gunna wait for her to finish in there or come upstairs?” she asked.

“We may as well just go upstairs,” Leena said.

Myka led her to Pete’s room, the state of which made both of their noses crinkle.

“No wonder this wasn’t on his tour,” Myka mumbled.

Leena chuckled slightly.  “Let’s just change quickly and get back downstairs.”

Myka nodded.

They were back downstairs within five minutes.

They found Pete and Claudia in the kitchen.  Pete was already scooping his ice cream on the island in the middle of the kitchen, moving with an ease that made it obvious he had made the same exact sundae before.

Claudia was watching from her perch on the island and taking bites from an already finished sundae.

“Took you two long enough,” Pete said when they walked in.  Leena, arms crossed, stood across from where Claudia sat while Myka leaned on the table next to her.

Claudia twisted around to look at them.  “The man’s got an endless selection of ice cream,” she said.

“We see that,” Leena said as she grabbed a tub and inspected it.

 “What are you two waiting for?” Pete asked Claudia and Leena.  He passed them both a bowl and spoon then grabbed the whipped cream and finished his own creation.

“Do you have butter pecan?” Myka asked.

Pete wordlessly slid the tub to her.  She and Leena quickly worked.  Pete put away everything once they were done using it, claiming that his mom would kill him if he let the stuff go bad.

“Who’s sleeping where?” Myka asked as she reached across the island to grab the jar of caramel.

“’E uld uss hame aces.”

“How do you not spit food everywhere when you do that?” Claudia asked.  Her nose crinkled in disgust.

“Ad hills.”

“Those are  _not_ mad skills,” Myka said.

Pete swallowed and grinned.  “You’re just jealous you can’t do it.”

“Actually, I have the decency to not talk to people with my mouth full.”

He gave a half shrug and took another bite.

“Could you answer the question again?” Claudia asked.  “After you swallow,” she quickly added when he went to answer.

He quickly swallowed then scrunched his face up in pain.  The girls laughed as he pressed his palms to his forehead.

“You can all sleep in the garage,” he muttered.

“Nope,” Claudia laughed as she hopped off of the island and left the kitchen.  Leena and Myka followed her out.

Pete grumbled as he finished putting the food away, replenishing his bowl as he went.  When he finally returned to the living room they were set up.  Leena was in the corner of the couch she had been in all night while Claudia had moved to claim the armchair and had discovered the lever that made it lay out.  Myka had set up a pseudo-bed on the floor using some blankets.  There was another pile of blankets laid out next to her, which he flopped down on.

-

“You’re in the foster system?” Pete exclaimed.

Claudia gave a halfhearted shrug.  She stared into her bowl as she dragged her spoon through the thin film of ice cream and chocolate sauce that remained.  She could feel them watching her, their pitying looks sending tingles across her skin.

“But you seem so…I dunno…” he trailed off as he failed to find the word.

“ _Pete_ ,” Myka hissed.

He turned to her with a questioning look.  She shook her head and mouthed ‘don’t’.

“It’s okay,” Claudia mumbled.  “I’m used to it.”

“So who do you live with?” Pete continued, ignoring Myka’s glare.

“The Smollers.”

Myka’s head snapped towards her.  “Kurt Smoller?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe it’s time for us to actually go to sleep,” Leena cut in.  Her eyes were soft as she looked back and forth between Myka and Claudia.

“Yes, let’s do that,” Pete quickly agreed.

Claudia silently nodded, put her bowl on the floor, and curled up, facing away from them.

Myka watched her for a few moments then turned to Pete.  He gave her a lopsided smile and lay down.  She took a deep breath and lay down as well.

-

She stared up at the ceiling as her mind raced.

Was Claudia in danger?  Myka knew Kurt could be violent but would he go after Claudia?  He seemed pretty fixated on Myka, but if he found out that she knew Claudia…

She lifted an arm and pressed it over her eyes.

It was one thing to have him threatening her.  To possibly have Claudia involved as well was something entirely different.

She took her arm off of her eyes and felt around the floor next to her head until she found her glasses.  She closed her eyes and just held her glasses for a moment.

The room sounded of sleep.  Three rhythms wove in and out of each other.  Leena’s deep breathing, calming and slow.  Claudia’s quicker breathes that squeaked slightly.  Pete’s none stop snoring right next to her ear.

She didn’t know how long they had been asleep but her thoughts prevented her from joining them.

With a soft sigh, she put her glasses on and opened her eyes.  Slowly, she stood, arms outstretched slightly to hold her balance as her body adjusted to standing.  Once she was sure she wasn’t going to fall, she left the room.

She didn’t notice the eyes that opened as she went.

-oOo-

Myka connected the stars, drawing line after line until the image was clear.

Scorpio hung low in the sky, just visible between the house directly behind Pete’s and the next one over.  She sat on the edge of the porch table.  She leaned back, her palms flat on the wood.

She breathed in the night air and exhaled a puff of vapor.  She shivered as cold wind blew through the yard.  She had left the house a while ago, but was unwilling to go back inside just yet.

Sitting beneath the stars her issues – her dad; Kurt; truly accepting that Pete was there – didn’t seem as suffocating as they usually did.

“Blanket?”

Myka jumped at the voice.  She spun around, hand pressed to her chest.  Pete was standing behind her, between the table she was perched on and the house.  He was holding out a blanket.

“Don’t do that,” she gasped.

“Do what?” he questioned.

“Sneak up on me.”

“Sorry.”

She watched him for a moment then turned back around.  Her legs swung in the air and her hair whipped in front of her face.  This time, she heard Pete’s steps as he walked towards her.  He appeared in her peripheral and jumped onto the table edge next to her.  He handed the blanket to her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled as she draped the fabric around her shoulders.  She inspected the fabric for a moment, then turned back to the sky.

“You gunna tell me why you’re out here?”

“Do I have to?”

“Nah, but I thought you might want to.”

“Have I ever talked freely?”

“Course not.  That would be very un-Myka-like.”

The corners of her mouth quirked and she shook her head with humor.

“See, that’s Myka-like.”

She didn’t answer.  She tightened the blanket around her as a slightly harder gust of wind hit them.  He watched her for a moment, then looked up at the stars.

“Myka-like silence it is then,” Pete mumbled.

She ignored him and searched for other images she might recognize.  Orion jumped out at her, as did the Big Dipper, but nothing else did.  She had given up all interest in astronomy after the star sticker incident.

The warmth of Pete next to her dug into her thoughts.  She swallowed thickly then took a deep breath.  She had no idea why he had decided to leave the warmth of the house to sit with her in his backyard.

“My dad and I,” Pete suddenly said, his voice low.  “We used to camp in our backyard.  We lived in North Canton, Ohio back then.  I think it was a little bigger than this place and ya’know, not three hours from nowhere.  The stars weren’t as clear there, but we would lie back in the grass and he taught me everything he knew about them.”

Myka turned her head slightly as he raised an arm and pointed at the sky.  His finger moved slightly, as if tracing lines.

“He taught me every constellation, every star that was named.  He even taught me how to navigate by the stars.”  His arm dropped and he sighed heavily.  “It’s been ages since I’ve really looked at them.”

“What happened to him?” Myka slowly asked.  It was relatively known that his dad’s death was one of the reasons his family had moved to Jefferson.

His gaze stayed firmly on the sky.  “He was a firefighter.  He just didn’t make it out one day.”

Myka turned back to the stars.  She made her own pictures as the thoughts ran through her head.  Did she really have any right to turn to Pete when hiding from her father?  At least she still had her father.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Pete blinked.  He had heard hundreds of apologizes in relation to his dad’s death, but none that sounded like that.  He looked at Myka.  Her face was shadowed but her breathing was heavy through her nose.

“For what?” he pushed.

“Your dad,” she instantly replied.

“Myka,” he sighed.  “For what?”

She shrugged.

“I’m not going to drop this.”

Her shoulders slumped and she let out a puff of air.  “Please, Pete,” she pleaded.

He lifted his leg onto the table and folded it as he turned so his body was facing her.  “For what?”

She shook her head slightly.  Her voice was thick and he could hear her fighting to keep it steady.  “At least I have a dad.”

He stilled for a moment, then violently shook his head.  “Don’t you ever think that,” he growled.  “Ever.”

Her head snapped towards him.  Her face, half illuminated by the porch light, was shocked.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” he told her.  “You do not have it better because you have a dad; not when your dad…” he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.

“It’s not as bad as you seem to think it is,” she mumbled, head lowered.

He took a deep breath.  “I’m scared for you, Myka,” he slowly admitted.  “Like, legitly scared.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“But I am.  I have no idea what he could be doing to you when you’re over there.”

“He’s not doing much now.”

“And the only reason I know that is because you haven’t shown up at my window again and you never show up to school covered in bruises.”

“He’s too smart to leave bruises that can be seen at school.”  She winced as soon as the words left her mouth.  She turned back so her face was shadowed again.

“But he does leave bruises?”

She shook her head.  “No.”

“You just said he did!  How can you stay there when he hurts you?”

“He doesn’t hurt me.  Not anymore, Pete.”

“Anymore?  He used to?”

“Pete, please drop it.”

“No, Mykes.  He hurt you.  Physically hurt you.”

“In the past.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.  What if…”  He covered his hand with his mouth.  “You didn’t fall down the stairs last year, did you?”

She shrunk into herself.  “I did,” she whispered.

“What, did he push you?”

“No.  I tripped, it was my fault.”

“Myka.”

She turned back to him.  Tears were slowly moving down her face.  “I tripped,” she repeated.  “I was trying to get away from him and tripped, alright?”

“No, it’s not alright.”

Her eyes widened slightly.  She looked down at the ground.  “It was my fault,” she said.  “If I hadn’t pissed him off… If I hadn’t lost my footing…”

“If he hadn’t been trying to hurt you in the first place,” Pete cut in.

She let out a gasping sob and shook her head.  “It was my fault,” she insisted.

“No, it wasn’t.”  He kept his voice low and gentle.  “None of it is your fault.”

Her jaw trembled and she sniffled slightly.

“C’mere,” he whispered, spreading his arms out.

She froze for a moment, then leaned into him.  He wrapped his arms around her as one of her hands reached out of the blanket and gripped his hoodie.

Her sobs were silent as they shook her body.  He clenched his jaw at the thought of her alone in her room, curled up and silent, hoping nobody would notice her tears.

-

Myka’s rational thought vanished as she cried against Pete.  Instead, her mind kept reliving the moment she had lost her step.  She had been weightless for a moment.  She had been free for a moment.  Then everything had come crashing down.

Literally.

She had slipped on the third step from the top and fallen all the way down.  Her dad had refused to call an ambulance and had instead waited for her mom to get home with the car two hours later.  She had come home from the hospital to find a new lock on her door, one that was only operable from  _inside_ the room – the only thing she could remember her mother doing to stop her father – and the irrational need to use both feet on that step.

She twisted her hand tighter around Pete’s shirt.  He responded by tightening his arms around her.

Her tears fell freely, creating two wet spots in his hoodie.  She gasped for air and tightened her hold even more.

He was there.  He wasn’t a stuffed bear with worn fur and a missing eye.  He wasn’t the creation of another’s mind found in the paper and ink of a book.

He was real and human and there for her.

Slowly, her sobs began to recede.  Her tears slowed and her shaking stopped.

“Pete,” she whispered when she finally calmed down enough to talk.

“Hmm?”  She felt the vibrations move through his chest with the hum.

“You’re never gunna leave me, right?”

“Never.  I promise.”

“Really?”

One of his arms let go of her and slipped between their bodies.  She let out a stray sob as his pinkie hooked around hers.  “Pinkie promise.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light filler chapter to tide you over until I am able to really work on this some more. I'm starting an internship today, which I will be working full time for. Furthermore, I'm not sure what internet connection I will have in my apartment.  
> So, enjoy.

Leena’s car crept down the street.  Claudia sat stiff in the passenger’s seat.  She absently picked at a loose thread on the seam of her jeans.  They had ridden in awkward silence since leaving Pete’s a few minutes ago.

“Are you going to tell me which house you actually live in?” Leena asked her.

Claudia shrugged.  Leena sighed and pulled to the curb.  They were about halfway down the street.

“Alright, I can accept that you don’t want me to know, but at least stop pretending to live in a house you don’t.”

“I’ll just get out here,” Claudia mumbled.  She undid her buckle then opened her door.  Leena reached over and rested a hand on her arm.  Claudia froze.

Leena just watched her for a moment then seemed to deflate slightly, as if accepting something.  “I’ll see you on Monday,” she said.

Claudia turned to her and gave a jerky nod.  “Yeah.”

She slid out of the car and swung her bag onto her shoulder.  She waited on the curb until Leena drove off, then turned and started to walk down the street.

She walked with her hands in her pockets and her head down.  She wished she could get a way home that didn’t involve sitting in a car with Leena.  At least she could avoid conversation.

She blinked and found herself on the ground, a slow ache working its way through her side and the corner of a book pressing into her back.

“I am so sorry,” a hurried voice said.  Hands wrapped around her arms.  She flinched away from them, scrambling further into the street.  “Woah, I said I’m sorry.”

She looked up to see a boy her age standing over her.  His hair was spiked up and his square glasses were crooked.

“Its fine,” she said, pushing herself up.

“Are you hurt?” he asked as he brushed dust off of her jacket.

She swatted at his hands and stumbled away from him.  Keeping her head down, she rushed away from him.

“I’m sorry!” he called after her.

-oOo-

Myka avidly ignored Pete walking next to her.  She knew he was going to want to talk but hadn’t been able to come up with a reason to turn him down when he had offered to walk her home.

They stuck to the more secluded paths as they walked through the park.  Still, the sounds of kids playing leapt through the air and the near-noon sun hung high in the sky.

Myka kicked at a leaf on the path.  It fluttered slightly but didn’t move.  She glared at it.

“It’s just a leaf, Mykes,” Pete said.

She turned her glare to him.  He raised his hands and leaned away from her.

“Hey, I did nothing to you.”

She deflated slightly, her gaze dropping to the path.  “Sorry.”

He bumped into her with his shoulder.  She looked at him through the sides of her eyes as a smile pulled at her mouth.

“C’mon,” he pushed.  “Smile, you still have at least fifteen minutes until you’re home.”

She snorted and shook her head.  “Not now, Pete.”

“Then when?” he asked.  “I’m not going to let you ignore this forever.”

“There’s nothing to ignore.”

He swung around her, stopping her on the path.  “Myka.”

She groaned.  “What do you want from me, Pete?”

“To accept that that place isn’t good for you.”

“That _place_  is my home.”

“It doesn’t sound like much of a home to me.”

“But it’s mine.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“You could live with me.”

Myka gave a sad smile.  “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

She looked over at the trees and rubbed the back of her neck as she shook her head.

“I just can’t.”  She pressed a hand on his chest.  “Thank you, for looking out for me, but there’s only so much you can do.”

She dropped her hand and stepped around him.  He turned with her.

“I can go the rest of the way myself,” she told him.

“At least let me go with you to the end of the park.  My mom will notice if I come home too early.”

Myka sighed and tensed for a moment.  She couldn’t argue with Pete’s logic.  “Fine.”

“So, Ohhhh-kla-homa, what are your plans for the rest of the week?” he said as they started walking away.

“Oklahoma?”

“You still haven’t told me your middle name.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Well, that’s not it.  All I have planned is work.”

“You gotta get out more.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.  “What are you doing this week?”

“There’s a party on Friday, at Justin’s place.  I could probably get you in, Obama.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him but didn’t say anything.

“What?”

“Can you really see me going to a party?”

He grimaced.  “Guess not.  But, hey,  _hey,_ hey, we can hang out on Saturday.”

They slowed as they reached the end of the park.  Myka looked down the street for a moment then nodded.

“Alright.  I have the morning shift Saturday, so meet here around two?”

“Sounds good, Odonna.”

She laughed and shook her head.  “That’s not it.”

“Olympia…Oprah…Odina…”

“Ophelia.”  She raised her hand to her forehead.  “It’s Ophelia.  From  _Hamlet_.”

“Ophelia,” he said.  “I like it.”

“You already have a joke about it.”

“About ten, actually.”

She chuckled.  “Save them for later?”

“When you least expect it but most need it.”

She grinned and nodded.  “I’ll see you Saturday.”

“’Till then, my fair Ophelia.”

She shook her head and crossed the street, a car honking at her as she went.

-oOo-

“What do you think of them, as a group?”

Jane jumped at the voice.  She glared across her kitchen at the woman standing on the other side of the island.  She had just sent Pete and Myka off and had not expected anyone.

“There are laws against breaking into someone’s house, you know.”

Mrs. Fredric smiled.  Her hands were folded on a few files that lay on the table.  “What do you think?”

Jane rolled her eyes.  “They are a good team.”

“But?”

“They’re kids, Irene.”

“Everyone who goes through the program is a child.”

Jane sighed.  She closed her eyes as she listened to what her gut was saying.  “They aren’t as close as they could be.  Pete and Myka are getting incredibly close but Leena and Claudia are more on the sideline right now.”

“On the sideline together, though.  That is an important aspect.”

Jane raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.  Mrs. Fredric clearly knew something she hadn’t noticed.

“Would they accept more into the group?”

“More?  Four is already one of the largest groups in training right now.”

“We have found a possible partner for Claudia and there may be another student transferring from overseas.”

Mrs. Fredric slid the files across the island.  Jane stepped over and took them.

“I want to know if you think they would be a good fit.”

Jane nodded as she opened the top file.  Dark eyes looked up at her from the photo paper clipped to the first page.  She looked up again only to find Mrs. Fredric gone.

-oOo-

Claudia absently swung back and forth as she focused on the book in her hands.  The soles of her shoes dug ruts in the woodchips beneath the swing.  The park was deserted.  She figured the kids who, once upon a time, would have played there were probably all inside playing wii or something.  She preferred it that way, though.  She could use the swing without any interruptions.

“Hey?”

Or not.

She looked up.  The boy who had run into her the other day was standing a few feet from her.  He was shifting back and forth on his feet.  His hands were stuffed into his pockets and his shoulders were pushed forwards slightly.

“You’re Claudia, right?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I’m Todd.  I, uhh, kinda ran into you the other day.”  He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish look.

“I remember.”

“It was an accident, I swear,” he said.  “And I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine, dude,” she told him.  “No damage done.”

He nodded but didn’t look convinced.  “Let me buy you lunch at least, as an apology.”

“Are you asking me out?”

His face blanched and his eyes grew wide.  He sputtered for an answer.

She watched him struggle, her mind working.  He was decent looking, even with the acne all over his face, and she was sure they had to have some common interests.

Even better, he was a guy and not Leena.  She could be normal with him.

“Lunch would be great,” she cut him off.

-oOo-

Pete was leaning against a tree when Myka walked up that Saturday.  His head was down and he was wearing sunglasses despite the clouds.

She called out to him.  He flinched.

“Don’t talk so loud,” he told her.

She regarded him then sighed.  “You’re hung over.”

“That’s what happens after parties,” he mumbled.

“You didn’t have to drink.”

“Ehhh.”

Myka rubbed the back of her neck.  “C’mon, let’s get you some water.”

“I don’t want water.”

“It’ll help you feel better.”  She grabbed his arm and pulled him off of the tree.

“Myyyyka.”

“Do you feel like crap?”

“Yes.”  The word came out in a childish whimper.

“Then you need water and food.”

He groaned but let her pull him out of the park.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Ted’s.”

“Whhhhhhy?  I just wanna sleep.”

“You can sleep after eating.”

He harrumphed but didn’t protest.

She shook her head and led him down the street.  They walked in silence until they reached Ted’s, a small diner down Oak Street.

“I don’t have money,” Pete mumbled after the hostess left them at their booth.

“I’ll cover you,” Myka told him.

“Hello,” their waitress said, cutting off Pete’s reply.  “I’m Theadora and I’ll be serving you today.  Can I start you off with some drinks?”

“Two waters, please?” Myka told her.

“Of course.  Do you still need time to decide what you want to eat?”

“Yes, please.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back with your waters.”

“Thank you.”  She looked at the menu.  “You should probably get the eggs and bacon,” she told Pete.  “Maybe a fruit cup as well.”

Pete grunted and laid his head on the table.

“How much did you drink?” she absently asked.  She pulled her lip between her teeth as she read the food descriptions.

He shrugged.  “A lot?”

“I already figured that much out.”

He lifted his head to glare at her then dropped it again.  “Owwww,” he moaned as his head thudded against the table.  “’M never drinking again.”

“If you say so.”

“Here you are,” Theadora said as she set two glasses of water down.  “Are you ready to order?”

“Pancakes and bacon and eggs,” Pete mumbled.

“How do you want your eggs?”

“Scrambled.”

The waitress nodded and wrote it down.  She turned to Myka.

“Grilled cheese and tomato soup, please, and a fruit cup on the side.”

Theadora smiled.  “Alright then, it will be right out.”

“Thank you,” Myka said as she handed Theadora the menus.

Pete sat up once the waitress was gone.  He slumped against the wall.  “What’ve you been up to?”

“Working.”

“That’s so boooring.”

“I like working in the shop.”

“Really?”

“Yes.  I like books, Pete.  I like working with them.”

“You’re weird.”

“I know.”

He slid further down in his seat.

Myka grabbed the drink and dessert menu propped between the ketchup and syrup.

“Their apple pie is amazing,” Pete mumbled.

Myka nodded.  “Good to know.”

“So is their chocolate pie and their peach pie and all of their pies, really.”

Myka chuckled.  “Is this your way of asking me to buy you pie?”

“Please?”

“Fine.”

“I’ll pay you back, promise.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I will.”

“If you insist.”

“I do.”

-oOo-

“Your head feeling better?” Myka asked as they left the diner.

“A little,” Pete replied.  He lifted his carryout box to eye level and opened it slightly.  “This pie looks sooo good.”

“Good.”

“We can go to my house and get my money to pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I told you I’ll pay you back.  You spent, like, fifteen dollars on me.  Got me two pieces of pie and everything.”

“Just think of it as thanks for the other night.”

He stopped walking.  “What?  No.  I didn’t do that to get free food.  I did it cause I care about you.”

She stopped and turned to him.  Her head was down and her arms were wrapped around her torso.  “I know,” she said.  “I just…”

“Yeah.  Like I told you, I’m here for you.”

She nodded and looked away from him.  “So, what are you doing the rest of the day?”

“I dunno.  What time do you have to be home?”

“I really should head back now, actually.”

“What, why?”

She shrugged.  He sighed and nodded.

“Well, then, Ophelia.”  He raised his arm out for her.

She raised an eyebrow.  “You’re funny,” she deadpanned.

“I do try.”

She laughed.  “C’mon, Lattimer.”

They started to walk down the street.

“So,” Pete drawled.  “My mom is gunna open the pool in a few weeks.  We usually have a small party with some family friends.  You can come if you want.”

“To your pool party?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Oh, come on.  You’re really gunna deny me the chance to see that body in a bathing suit?”

She punched his arm.  “Keep with those comments and I will definitely not be coming.”

He grinned at her.  “You wanna come.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

She groaned.  “I’ll ask, but that’s all I can promise.”

He slung his arm over her shoulder.  “Told ya you want to come.”

She ducked away from him and tried to glare at him.  The smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, however, ruined the effect.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: abuse
> 
> Shoutout to massivenerdywarehouse for beta-ing

“What’d they say?  What’d they say?  Did you ask?  You asked, right?”

Myka rolled her eyes but laughed at Pete’s enthusiasm.  She walked past him and continued towards the school.

“C’mon, don’t leave me waiting,” he whined as he quickly followed her.  “Did you ask?”

“Yes, I asked.”

“And?  What’d they say?”

She glanced at him with narrowed eyes.  “I don’t think I should tell you.”

His eyes grew wide.  “What?  C’mon, you gotta tell me.”

“Why?”

“Cause.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Course it is?  Tell me.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I can go.”  Her mother had said she could.  She had to pick up a few extra shifts to appease her dad, but she could go.

Pete whooped.  “Sweet.  So, what does your bathing suit look like?”

“You’ll find out.”

“Maybe I wanted to match.”

She just looked at him, her head shaking slightly.  He shrugged.

“It would have been funny.”

“I don’t get you sometimes.”

“But there are times that you do get me.”

She tilted her head back and blinked a few times as she thought.  “Umm, no, actually.  I never get you.”

“Shame, there’s a lot to get with all of this.”  He waved his hands up and down his body.

She laughed and elbowed him lightly.  “I don’t think your head could get much bigger.”

“You know, I’m sure it could, actually.”

“Highly doubt it.”

He pushed the school door open and led her inside.

“I will be slightly late,” she told him.  “To the party.  I have a shift that morning.”

“Do you ever not work?”

She nodded.  “Tuesdays, every other Saturday, and bank holidays.”

“What’s a bank holiday?”

“Exactly.”

-oOo-

Myka hefted her backpack further up her shoulders as she left her final class of the day.  She raised an eyebrow as Pete fell into step next to her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“I go to school here, duh,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes.  “Your last class is halfway across the building from here.”

“So?”

“And closer to the Room.”

“Point?”

She looked at him with a pointed expression.  “Why are you in this part of the building?”

“You know, I’m really not following why you’re asking me these questions.”

They turned into the stairwell.

“You know what I’m asking,” Myka told him.

“No, I really don’t.”

She glared at him.  He just grinned.

“Pete.”

“Maybe I just missed you.”

“We saw each other before school.”

“That’s a _long_ time.”

“It’s six hours.”

“Do you know how many TV shows I could watch in that time?”

She gave an exasperated groan and practically fell onto the door to exit the stairwell to open it.

“You’re impossible.”

“I try.”

She rolled her eyes.

“What are we doing today?”

“What do we do every Monday?  Run, then spar, then study.”

“What’re we studying?”

“Did you read anything after Tuesday?”

“Nope.”

“Figures.”

“You can just tell me about it, though.  Right?”

“Wrong.”

He glanced around as she pushed through the door to the basement, then watched her go down the steps for a moment before following.

He couldn’t tell her that he had rushed to her class to make sure she wasn’t alone in the hall.  That he had kept an eye out for Kurt the entire time.  That he knew he couldn’t do anything to protect her at home, but he could at school.

If she found out she would insist that it wasn’t necessary, even though it really was.

So, she could never know.

He followed her closely as they walked through the hall and into the Room.  The only person already there was Leena, who was reading in one of the armchairs.

Myka moved to put her bag on her desk as Pete flopped into the armchair across from the one Leena was using.  He leaned towards Leena with arms on his thighs and an excited expression.  Leena looked up at him, eyebrow raised.

“Yes?” she questioned.

“Wanna go to a pool party?” he asked.

“A pool party?”

“Yeah, my moms’ opening our pool in a few weeks and we always have a party.  Wanna come?”

She smiled lightly.  “I’d love to.”

“Cool, two for two,” he cheered.

“’Two for two’ what?” Claudia asked as she entered the room.  She glanced around quickly then settled at her desk.

“Myka and Leena are coming to my pool party.  You in?”

She shrugged.  “I dunno.  Pool parties aren’t really my thing, ya know?”

“Oh, c’mon,” he whined.

“I don’t like swimming.”

“You don’t have to swim.”

“I still don’t know and I’d have to ask anyways.”

“So ask when you get home tonight.”

“Fine.”  She pulled her hood over her head and crossed her arms.  She slumped further down in her seat, dipping her head forward.

Pete raised an eyebrow and glanced at Myka, who shrugged.  Further conversation was cut off as Artie walked in.

“You already know what to do, go,” he gruffly said.  “You three, run.  Fifty minutes round trip.  Go.”

-oOo-

Claudia slid out of Leena’s car in silence.  She could sense Leena preparing to ask her something (most likely about the pool party seeing how she still hasn’t given an answer after a week) so she quickly closed the door.  She caught the confusion on Leena’s face before turning and walking off.  She heard the car drive off but refused to turn around.

She was still debating if she was even going to ask if she could go to the pool party or not.  She liked that they were including her but didn’t want to risk getting too close.  Every time she got close to anyone, she was moved.

And she wasn’t sure she would survive seeing Leena in a bathing suit.

“Claudia?”

She turned to see Todd a few feet away.

“Hey, Todd,” she replied.

“So, I was wondering about lunch,” he slowly started.  “We never actually made plans.”

Her mouth moved before she had time to think.  “I’m free Saturday.”

-oOo-

Myka waved at Mr. Loth, the owner of the barber shop, as he smiled at her through the front window of his shop.  She wrapped her hand back around the strap of her backpack after passing the barber and continued towards the bookstore.

She kicked a rock on the sidewalk and watched it bounce into the gutter.  Her steps were slow and measured.  The longer it took her to get home, the longer she had before her shift.  Not that she was particularly dreading her shift, she just wanted the time to herself and didn’t have the energy to close the store.

She also didn’t feel as though she would have the energy for the Pete’s party the next day.

She kicked another rock and dropped her hand off of her backpack strap.

The last two weeks had been long; between her schoolwork, Artie slightly increasing their work, fencing, and the slowly growing tension between her and her dad, she was mentally and physically exhausted.

She partially wished her parents hadn’t decided to let her go to the party, so she could use the time to catch up on sleep.  Still, she was happy to have an excuse to get out of the house.

She sighed as she paused in front of Bering & Sons.  She braced herself and pushed through the door.

Her father’s voice was rolling through the store.

“I told you to do it yesterday,” he was saying.

The mumbled reply was too soft for her to hear.  She grimaced.  Tracy.

“There is no reason it shouldn’t be done.”

She gently set her bag behind the counter and walked through the store.  She glanced down each aisle until she found her father and sister.  Her shoulders sagged slightly at how small Tracy looked.

“Why is it not done?”

His voice was tense and barely controlled.  It was a tone Myka recognized well.  A large pile of books sat on the floor next to them, obviously the cause of the tension.

“I…I…”  Tracy stuttered.  The noises seemed to be forced from her throat.  Each fear shredded syllable settled heavily on Myka.

“She asked me to do it instead,” Myka cut in, the words forcing their way out before she could stop them.  She may not get along with Tracy often, but she couldn’t stand to see her little sister feel the same fear she lived with.

They both turned to her.  Tracy’s eyes were wide while her father’s were narrowed.

“She asked me and I told her I’d do it but I ran out of time last night because of my homework.”

The words tumbled out of her mouth and it took everything she had to not flee.

“Tracy,” her father said.  “Go watch the front.”

Tracy quickly slid past Myka and vanished around the aisle.  Myka stared at where she had vanished until a hard hand wrapped around her upper arm.  The fingers dug into her skin and pulled her through the shop.

She stumbled after her father, barely staying on her feet.  Fear rose up in her as he opened the door to the back and threw her inside.  Her feet tangled together and she landed hard on the desk.  She held in a gasp as pain flared up her back, originating where she had hit the edge of the desk.

He stepped to her, pushing into her personal space and trapping her against the desk.

“How many times do I have to tell you to never leave the books on the floor?”

“I don’t know.”  Three times, actually.  After the third time she had made sure to never forget again.

She looked up at him, but quickly dropped her gaze.  The anger was storming behind his calm façade.

“Don’t do it again,” he growled then stepped back.  “Go to your room.”

She moved before she had processed the words and was out of breath by the time she reached her room.  She locked the door behind her and leaned back against the wood.  The pain flared up in her back again, making her jerk away from the door.

Slowly, she walked to her mirror and lifted her shirt up.  A red line crossed her back, the center already beginning to bruise.

Her shirt dropped down and she flopped onto her bed, stomach down.  She took her glasses of, put them onto the window ledge and pulled Mr. Bear to her.

-oOo-

The day was perfect in Pete’s opinion.  It was the warmest day of the year so far and the clouds were large and fluffy and white.  If only the girls would show up.  Well, Myka and Leena, cause Claudia’s parent-foster-guardian people said she couldn’t go.

He was treading water in the pool with the only other people at the party even close to his age.  Okay, pretty close.  Steve, sitting on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in the water, was only a year younger.  Meanwhile, Sam, who was treading water next to Pete, was a year older.  Either way, neither _were_ his age and the rest of the guests were his mom’s friends.  And Olivia, Steve’s little sister, but she didn’t count cause she just clung to her mom’s side.

Pete shuddered every time he thought of the fact that most of his mom’s friends were teachers.  The only teacher allowed to be seen outside of school was his mom, forget the fact that in a town the size of Jefferson, he actually saw teachers all over the place.

“Who is that?”

Pete glanced at Sam, then towards where Sam was looking.  He grinned.

“Myka!  Over here!”

The girl quickly located him, said something to his mom, and began to walk towards them.

“Damn,” Sam whispered.

Pete couldn’t help but agree.  Myka looked damn fine in her cloth shorts that _perfectly_ showed off her legs and the black bathing suit that was visible through her white shirt.  Her bushy hair and large glasses ruined the look slightly but still gave it a distinct Myka vibe.

“What took you so long to get here?” he asked as she walked closer.

“Tracy was late for her shift,” she replied.  She dropped her bag to the floor and settled into a seat not far from the boys.  “Is Leena here yet?”

“Nah.  Should be soon, though.”

She hummed and leaned back in her seat.  She looked around the yard.  “There’re more people here than I thought there would be.”

“There’s usually more, actually,” Sam told her.  He lifted himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool.  “I’ve never seen you here before, though.  I’m Sam.”

“Myka.  It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.  How do you know Pete?”

“Through school.”

“Myka and I are in a club together,” Pete cut in.  “We hang out a lot.”

“That’s cool.  What club?”

“Astronomy,” they both replied at once.  They glanced at each other in slight surprise.

Sam nodded and grinned.  “Cool.”

“Very,” Pete agreed.

“How do you all know each other?” she asked.

“My moms’ friends with their moms,” Pete told her.  “All teachers know each other.”

“It’s true,” Sam added.

Myka nodded and looked around the backyard.  She rubbed the back of her neck, a move Pete knew meant she was feeling self-conscious.

“Get in the pool, Mykes,” he said after a moment.  Her attention snapped towards him.

She grimaced slightly.  “I dunno.”

“C’mon,” he pushed.

“Maybe I should wait for Leena.”

“Not gunna happen.”

He jumped out of the pool, pulling a beach bucket out with him.

“No,” she said.

He grinned at her and slowly advanced.  She jumped out of the chair and started to back step away from him.  He glanced at Sam, who nodded slightly.

Myka pointed at him and narrowed her eyes.   “Pete.  Stop.  It’s no…”

Her words turned into a yelp as Sam pulled her into the pool as she passed him.  She vanished beneath the water, waves and bubbles spreading out from where she fell.  Pete and Sam glanced at each other and started to laugh.

She broke through the surface again a few moments later.  Her hair stuck to her face but her gasping breaths were audible.  She reached the edge in one stroke and brushed her hair back, fumbling with the hair tie on her wrist.  Pete grimaced – her glasses were missing.

“I’m sorry,” Sam said with a crooked smile.  “I couldn’t resist.”

“Resist next time,” she muttered.  “My glasses fell off.”

“Oh, gosh.  I’m so sorry,” Sam quickly said.  “I’ll get them.”

He slid into the water and dove down.  Pete settled on the ledge next to Myka.

“Sorry,” he said.

She glared at him as she lifted herself onto the ledge.

A wave of cold water crashed over him and Myka’s laughs were loud and sincere before he felt two hands on his back and was submerged.

-oOo-

Myka grinned at the boy holding the bucket.

“Thanks,” she said as he sat down next to her.

“I’ve wanted to do it all day,” he said with a shrug and a smirk.

“They didn’t introduce us,” she continued.  “I’m Myka.”

“Steve.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Steve,” she said.  She held her hand out and he took it with a strong grip.  “Your mom here too?”

“Yeah, the one with the nine year old girl clinging to her.”

Myka scanned the crowd fruitlessly, her vision barely letting her make out Steve’s features.  “Your sister?”

“Yeah, Olivia.”

Her response was cut off by Pete and Sam both breaking the surface.

Pete made a bee-line for Steve who jumped up and ran.  Sam moved slower and pulled himself onto the ledge next to Myka.

“Unharmed, I hope,” he said as he held up her glasses.

She took them and put them on.  There didn’t seem to be any scratches, although they did feel slightly looser.

“They survived,” she said.

“Good.  They look good on you.”

Heat rushed up her neck and she floundered for something to say.

“Lady Leena!” Pete suddenly yelled from across the pool, giving Myka an escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I forget to tell you all that Sam was going to be introduced at some point?  
> ....Ooop


	13. Chapter 13

“Will he fit in?”

Jane didn’t even jump at the voice.  She had been expecting it since the party had ended an hour ago.  She turned, tray of half full peanut bowls in her hands, to see the woman calmly sitting at the porch table.

She nodded as she walked back to the table.  “I think so.  He brings a different sense of calm than Leena or Myka do, but still seems able to enjoy himself.  I will need to see him with Claudia, however, to really make a good call.”

“Based on what you have seen, however, can you give any judgment?”

Jane sighed and thought for a moment.  “They’ll balance each other out.  Claudia is loud where Steve is quiet.  She’s outgoing where he’s more reserved.  They should work well together, but as they are high school freshmen, may not.”

Mrs. Fredric nodded.

Jane took a deep breath.  “Irene, has there been any more talk about getting Myka away from her family?”

“You believe she is in danger?”

“Yes, and I get a bad feeling every time I think about it.”

Mrs. Fredric grimaced slightly.  “I have tried to make something happen, but they are adamant.”

“They are willing to leave her in a potentially abusive house?”

“They have their reasons, whether we agree with them or not is irrelevant.”

“What’s relevant is her life and that she is safe, not their bureaucratic bullshit.”

“I agree with you, Jane, I do.”

Jane sighed.  “Can you at least tell them that I will happily take her in?”

Irene nodded once.  “I will.”

“Thanks.”  Jane stood and turned back towards the house.  She didn’t bother turning back, she knew Mrs. Fredric was already gone.

-oOo-

“So,” Pete drawled as Myka walked up the sidewalk.

“So what?” she replied.

“Sam asked for your number.”

Myka stopped and stared at him.  “He what?”

“He wants your number.”

He grinned at her as she stared back in shock.

“Wha…why would he want my number?” she slowly asked.

“Cause he likes you, duh.”

She smirked then laughed.  “That’s funny, Pete.”

His brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side.  “Why’s it funny?  I’m serious.”

Her laugh died down.  “He…He actually likes me?”

Pete let out a short breath and decided to tackle his friend’s obvious insecurities later.  “Yeah, but you obviously don’t have a number so I told him I’d talk to you, which I’m doing now.”  He grinned at her.

“Well, what do I do?”

“…I dunno, I’ve never been on the chick’s side.”

“The chick’s side?”

“You know what I mean.”

She rolled her eyes.  “We should really get going.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, school.”

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“Maybe you could borrow my phone?”

“You would be willing to part with your phone?”

“Good point.”

…

“You could revert to the nineties and email each other.”

“I only have access to my email at school and even then it depends on if any of my classes are on the computers.”

“Can’t you go to the library?”

“When?  My schedule is packed.”

…

“He could sing to you through your window.”

“That’s creepy.”

“It’s romantic.”

“Creepy.”

“Uggggh, you aren’t making this easy.”

“Sorry.”

“Ehhh.  What if I tell him to meet you at the diner one day?”

Myka grimaced.  “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to see him?”

She thought for a few moments.  Sam seemed like a good guy – smart and attractive.  He had been funny when they had talked at the party.  Not Pete’s style of funny, either; an actually funny type of funny.

“Yeah,” she slowly said.  “I do.”

“Then we gotta figure something out.”

She smiled at him as they entered the school.

-oOo-

“Hey.”

Claudia forced a smile as she turned to Todd.  He was slouched over with his hands in his pockets and an anxiously hopeful expression.

“Hi,” she replied.

He smiled.  “I just want to let you know that I really enjoyed lunch on Saturday.”

“I did too.”  Her response was more sincere than her smile.  She really had enjoyed hanging out with him.  They liked the same things and laughed at the same things.  He had even said he could help teach her about computers, something she had always been interested in.

“Would you like to, uhh, go out again, together, soon?”  He stumbled over his words as he tried to make his point clear.

She celebrated mentally.  Maybe she  _could_  be normal.  “That’d be great.”

-oOo-

Myka groaned as her back hit the ground.  Small tendrils of pain sprung from her bruise and clawed at her back.

“I didn’t think I hit you that hard,” Pete said as he helped her up.

“You didn’t,” she replied, brushing him off.

“You sure, you kinda looked in pain.”

“Have you even heard of proper grammar?”

“I don’t believe I have.”

She rolled her eyes then settled into her stance.  Pete quickly moved into his and they started to exchange blows.

They smoothly moved around one another.  Only months of sparing and they already knew how the other was going to react.  Pete used his size and strength while Myka used her speed.

Blow after blow was blocked until Pete managed to step around Myka and jabbed his elbow into her back.

She stumbled and let out a pained gasp.  Pete reached out and steadied her before she fell.

“I know I didn’t hit you that hard that time,” he said.

“You must be underestimating your strength,” she muttered.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Artie cut in.

Myka nodded and quickly left for the locker room.

Pete rushed after her and caught her before she reached the stairs.

“What was that?” he asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“Yeah, it really seemed like nothing.”

She groaned.  “You really want to know?  Fine.  I fell.  That’s it.  I have a giant bruise on my back because I was stupid and tried to reach a top shelf in the store using a chair and fell onto the shelf behind me.  A giant bruise you kept hitting.”

“You fell?”  The doubt was clear on his face.  His obvious care for her nearly made her come clean but she knew she couldn’t.

“Yes.  Are you going to freak out every time I get hurt?”

Her words were sharp, covered in thorns.  He recoiled slightly but quickly recovered.

“Every time you get hurt  _there_?  Yes.”

She deflated slightly.  “I appreciate it, Pete, but I just fell.”

Pete felt the muscles of his diaphragm clench but pushed the feeling away.

“Alright, you fell,” he relented.

She nodded and stalked up the stairs.

-oOo-

Thud…thud…thud…thud…

**TOOOUUCHD _OOOOO_ WN!!!!!!**

Pete caught the ball as it rebounded towards him and pulled his phone from his pocket to find a text from Sam.

**Just got the ok.  I’m free friday.**

Pete grinned and typed out his response.

**Awesome.  I’ll let her no.**

He dropped his phone onto his stomach and threw the ball at the wall over his headboard again.

Thud…thud…

**TOOOUUCHD _OOOOO_ WN!!!!!!**

**I o u 1 man**

**Dont worry bout it**

Of course he didn’t want Sam to owe him anything, he was doing it more for Myka.  He was clinging to the hope that the more decent people she had in her life, the more likely it was that she would leave her family.

Sam didn’t respond, so he went back to throwing the ball.

Thud…thud…

He knew that Myka was lying about the bruise.  There was no way she  _fell_ because she stood on a chair.

Thud…thud…thud…

Sure, he could understand her falling off a chair – she wasn’t exactly the most graceful – but he couldn’t see her using a chair to stand on.  She was too careful and smart for that.

Thud…

The ball bounced off the wall and flew over his head.  He groaned and stared at his ceiling.


	14. Chapter 14

Myka winced as she pulled her shirt off, the movement pulling at her bruise.  The skin was still tender and had turned a sickly green.

It had been a pain all week.  She couldn’t change without it hurting.  Her fencing gear had rubbed against it.  Her backpack sat right on it.  The worst, however, was that Pete had been overly cautious when they sparred.  A pointless gesture in her mind; if they really needed to know how to fight, they should know how to fight while in pain.

“You might want to go downstairs.”

She spun around, having not heard the door open.  Tracy was leaning on the doorframe.  Her eyes were locked low on Myka’s torso.  Myka closed her eyes and let out a breath at the quick realization that she had been staring at the bruise.

Tracy’s expression, however, moved from questioning to amazement.

“Are you trying to get a six-pack?”

“What?  No.”  Myka glanced down at herself.  She hadn’t realized that her stomach was no longer just flat, but starting to shape.

“Why not?  I mean, if it wasn’t for your face, you’d be totally hot.”

Sharp pain shot through Myka, but she pushed it down and pulled on a clean shirt.  “Why do I need to go downstairs?”  She kept her voice neutral.

Tracy blinked at the change of subject then smirked.  She glanced over her shoulder before leaning towards Myka.  “ _Sam_.”

“Sam?”  She was supposed to meet him at the diner.  What was he doing at the store?

“He’s downstairs, talking with Dad.”

Her breath caught and her eyebrows rose.  She rushed past Tracy, towards the stairs.  She slowed as she went down, then made her way into the store.  She moved quietly through the aisles until she found her father and Sam by the front.

“How many other girls have you slept with?

“Dad!” Myka exclaimed, her face red.

They both turned to her.  Sam looked both confused and nervous while her father’s face was hard.

“Sir,” Sam spoke up, pulling Warrens attention from his daughter.  “I’m not here to try and get Myka to sleep with me.  I just want to get to know her.  Maybe take her to get pizza or ice cream.”

Myka’s mind raced.  He actually wanted to get to know her, to date her.  He was right there, telling her dad exactly that.

Her dad.  Her heart sank slightly.  There was no way he was going to be okay with it.

“Alright.”

Her head snapped towards her dad at the word.

“You can go get pizza, but you will come right back, and I want to talk to you immediately after.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Sam replied with a nod.

“Good.”  He jerked his head towards the door.  Myka quickly led Sam out, not willing to give her dad any time to change his mind.

“I should of just gone to the diner, shouldn’t I?” Sam asked as they walked to his car.

Myka shrugged.

“I figured I’d surprise you,” he continued.  “I didn’t know your dad was such a hard ass.”

“You get used to it,” she mumbled.

He went to open her door, then stopped and turned to her.

“This doesn’t have to be a date, you know.  I know that’s what Pete set this up to be, and what your dad probably thinks it is, but if you don’t want it to be, we can just get pizza as friends.”

Myka looked at him for a few moments, then blushed slightly and smiled.  “I do kinda want it to be a date.”

He grinned and opened her door.  “Then a date it is.”

-oOo-

Myka smiled as she settled at her desk to do her homework.  Her pen hovered over her paper as she thought about her night.

The date – which she could still hardly believe happened – had gone well.  It had been easy to talk to Sam, almost as easy as with Pete, and she didn’t feel the pressure she might if he went to her school.  She could just be herself.

Of course, his talk with her dad once they had come back had been more than nerve wracking.  In the end, however, he had just set down some rules.

One, Sam had to pick her up for every date and come into the store to see her dad.

Two, they could only go to public places he approved.

Three, absolutely no sex.

Her mind was pulled from her thoughts as her door opened and Tracy spoke.

“So, who’s Sam?”

Myka kept her eyes on the paper in front of her as she answered.  “A guy.”

“Obviously.  I mean, how’d you meet him?  He’s gotta be from out of town, right?”

Myka winced at what her sister was insinuating.  “Go away.”

Tracy sighed and Myka heard the door settle under her sister’s weight.  “He’s hot, though.  You two had sex yet?”

“No.”

“Seriously?”  She could practically hear the way Tracy’s nose wrinkled.

Myka threw her pencil down and spun around.

“Oh my god!  We’ve been on one date!  And contrary to popular belief, I’m a virgin.  I’ve never slept with anyone and have no desire to change that any time soon.”

“Jeeze, if you insist.”

“I do, because it’s the truth.”

They glared at each other for a moment, then Tracy shrunk back slightly and moved to leave.  Myka turned back around.  She read through the first question.

“Myka?”

She held back a groan.  She had thought Tracy had left.  She kept her head down.

“What?”

“Did he do that to you?”

She froze slightly.  “Did who do what?”

“Did Dad give you that bruise on your back?”

Myka looked over at Tracy.  She didn’t see the teenager who insisted on making her life worse.  She saw the scared little sister who never understood their father’s ire.

“No, he didn’t.  I just fell.”

Tracy gave a small nod.  “Okay.  I just thought…with what happened Saturday and all.”

“Don’t worry about it, Trace.”

“Alright.”  Tracy turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Myka stared at the door.  She hadn’t realized that Tracy had made any assumptions about their father.  She turned around once again and pushed her homework away.

-oOo-

“He showed up at the store?”

Myka nodded as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.  Pete leaned against the tree they were sitting under.  His brow was furrowed in thought.  She had given him a brief overview of the date, but that was what he focused on.

“And your dad likes him?”

She nodded again.  She ran her fingers between her skin and glasses to make sure she got all of her hair.  She looked at the field through the trees.  It was a warm Sunday afternoon and dozens of families had decided that it was the perfect picnic day.

“And he’s letting you date him.”

“Yes, Pete,” she groaned.

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged and picked at the grass.  “It just seems more like he would try to keep you from having friends.”

Myka let out a low laugh.  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

She lay back in the grass and folded her arms beneath her head as she stared up at the tree.  No splotches of blue broke through the thick canopy.  She could just make out a nest built where one branch met the trunk.

“It’s all about control,” she slowly said.

“How?” Pete questioned.

“He told Sam he can date me.  He told Sam where we can and can’t go.  He only spoke to Sam the entire time.  He never considered that I might not want any of it.”

“Well, do you want to date him?”

Myka thought for a moment then lifted herself up onto her arms and smiled at him.  “Yeah, I do.”

-oOo-

Around the same time the next day, Myka was leaning against the fence that bordered the track.  Claudia stood next to her as they waited for Pete.

The sun was partially hidden behind thick clouds and a light breeze was keeping the temperature at a manageable level.  They were both in shorts and a tee-shirt in preparation for their run.

“Well, would you look at this; I didn’t know you two know each other.”

They both tensed at the voice.  Myka turned her head to see Kurt walking towards them.  She shifted uncomfortably as he openly looked her over.

“And it’s just my luck to find you all alone.”

She glanced around.  The track team was away at a meet and the soccer teams had left for their own run.  The door to the boy’s locker room stayed shut.

“Your watchdog busy chasing his own tail?”

She could feel how tense Claudia was and pushed back her fear the same way she did when she protected Tracy.  She turned to face him fully.

“Go away,” she said, her voice stronger than she felt.

Kurt laughed.  “Are you ordering me around, Bering?  Cute.”

“Just go, we don’t want any trouble.”

“It’ll only be trouble if you think of it that way.”

“She said go away.”

Relief bloomed in Myka at Pete’s voice.  She glanced at him.  His face was hard.

Kurt scowled.

“Here to protect your girls like the good little puppy you are?” he mocked.

“Go,” Pete said.

Kurt tensed in anger then shrugged.  “I’ll see you at home, Claudia.”

The fence shifted slightly as Claudia recoiled behind Myka.

Kurt turned and walked away.  Myka watched him until he walked around the bleachers then she turned to Claudia.

“Let’s go,” the girl said before Myka could speak.  She took off running.

“Is she okay?” Pete asked.

“I don’t know,” Myka replied.

“Are you?”

Myka looked at him and nodded.

“You sure?”

“I am.  C’mon, let’s catch her.”

-oOo-

Myka glanced up Claudia after locking her locker in the athletic locker room.  The redhead was still leaning against the wall, her arms above her head and her breaths deep as she recovered from the run.

“Are you okay?” Myka slowly asked.

Claudia looked up at her.  Her face was still flushed.  “Well, I can barely breathe, does that count?”

“That not what I mean and you know it.”

Claudia dropped her arms and stood up straight.  “Actually, I don’t know what you mean, so if you could leave me alone, that’d be great.”

Myka sighed.  “If you don’t want to talk, fine, but I am here.”

“I have nothing to talk about!”  She took a step towards Myka as she spoke.

Myka flinched and stepped back.

“What do you know, anyways?  Sure, Kurt gets on your case but you get to go home to that cozy little bookstore and what’s gotta be a perfect family that’s actually _yours._   So, excuse me if I don’t want to be your charity case of the week.”

Myka stared blankly at her, then blinked a few times and gave a jerky nod.  “Alright,” she said in a strained voice.  She grabbed her bag and left the locker room.

Claudia stared at the door as her anger settled slightly.  She hadn’t meant to go off on Myka; she just didn’t understand why she had to push her way into her life.

-oOo-

“Woah, Mykes?  What’s wrong?” Pete asked as he jogged after her.

She had stormed out of the locker room and not even acknowledged that he was there.

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“No, something is totally wrong.”

She kept walking and ignored him.

“C’mon,” he moaned.  “Was it Claudia?  It had to be Claudia cause no one else is here now.”

“Just drop it, Pete,” she spat out.

“Should I go talk to her?”

She spun around.  “No.  I swear, Pete, if you talk to her, I will….I’ll…”

“Fine,” he relented.  “I won’t.”

She nodded and stalked off again.  He groaned and followed her.

-oOo-

Leena could feel the negative energy rolling off of Claudia as she drove her home.  It crawled along her skin and tried to invade her.

Still, it wasn’t as bad as it had been when they had returned from their run.  The tension between Myka and Claudia had been stifling.

“What happened between you and Myka?” she finally asked.

Claudia slid lower in the passenger’s seat.  Leena sighed.

“I’m serious.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because you’re my friends.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter because nothing happened.”

“You two didn’t speak at all after coming back from the run.  Something happened.”

Claudia groaned.  She may be trying to ignore the way she felt about Leena, but she did not want to blow up at her like she had Myka.

“I just told her to keep her business in her perfect life and out of my fucked up one.”

Leena stopped the car at a stop sign and glanced at Claudia before turning onto the next street.

“Why do you think her life is perfect?”

“How could it not be?”

Leena sighed.  “Do you know what happened a few months before you came here?”

“She slept with some guy who had a girlfriend.  So?”

“She never slept with him.”

“Right.”

Leena took a moment as she turned onto Claudia’s street before continuing.

“He asked her out just to sleep with her, but he told her that he had broken up with his girlfriend in order to get her to agree on a date.  She left the date as soon as she learnt that he had lied.  He told everyone that they slept together.”

“Okay, fine.  She went a few months as the virgin school slut, so what?”

“So, you don’t actually know everything she’s been through, so how can you say her life is perfect?”

Claudia didn’t reply.  She just stared out the window until the car stopped.  She ignored Leena as she climbed out, then cut off whatever she was saying by slamming the door.  Leena watched her for a few moments before driving away.

Claudia sighed then started walking towards the park.  She had no desire to go to the house yet.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets as she walked.

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

“Why do you always get home so late?”

Speaking of complicated.

She turned to see Todd walking behind her.  “Why do you always sneak up on me?” she countered.

He scratched his head as he lengthened his stride to walk next to her.  “I dunno.  What are you up to tonight?”

“Nothing really.”

“Cool.  You wanna come to my place?  I can show you my computer like you asked.”

Claudia smiled.  Maybe some things weren’t so complicated.  “Sounds like a plan.”

-oOo-

Claudia stared at the dark liquid staining the fabric of her underwear.  It took a few moments for her brain to fully process what it was before the sound of Myka opening her locker grabbed her attention.

Of course she would get her first period when the only person she could ask for help was also the person she had been avoiding for days.  Muffling a groan, she stuffed some toilet paper in her underwear and left the stall.

She hovered just inside the bathroom and watched Myka move for a few moments as she worked up the nerve.

And, nope, better look at the ceiling.  Myka had just taken her shirt off and normal girls don’t stare at other girls.  No matter how nice their body is, even with a clumsiness induced bruise across their back.

She waited until Myka had a shirt on to speak.

“Myka,” she stammered.  She cursed herself for letting her voice waver.  She pulled her jacket sleeves over her hands and twisted the frayed edges around her fingers.

Myka turned around with a questioning expression.

“What’s up?”  Her tone was almost painfully neutral.

“I uhh…do you, um, have anything for – you know.”

Myka raised an eyebrow.  “No, I don’t know.”

Claudia groaned and winced slightly.  She threw her head back and shifted on her feet.

“You know.”  She bounced up and down slightly.  “…female products.”

Myka’s expression softened.

“Oh, uhh, yeah.  Of course.  Tampon or pad?”

“Whichever.”

Myka nodded.  She reached into her bag, pulled out a tampon, and walked to Claudia.  “Here.”

Claudia mumbled her thanks as she took it.  Face bright red, she retreated back to the stall.  She leaned against the door as she stared at the object in her hand.  She opened it and pulled the tampon out.  She turned the object over in her hand and tried to remember how to use it.  She was sure someone had told her at one point.

She pushed on the plunger and stared in wide-eyed horror as the wad of cotton fell to the floor.  She grabbed some toilet paper and picked the tampon up and tossed it into the toilet.  She watched as the cotton engorged in the water, then left the stall.

Myka had finished changing – thank every deity for that – and was going through her bag.  She zipped it up after a moment then turned around.  She raised an eyebrow when she saw Claudia.

“I don’t know how to…” Claudia trailed off as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“You could of just asked for a pad.”

Claudia shrugged.

Myka watched her for a moment then slowly spoke.  “It’s your first, isn’t it?”

Claudia pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and shrugged again.

Myka nodded knowingly and reached into her bag again.  She pulled out a pad.

“Just stick it to your underwear.  Change it before you go to bed.  Take some pain pills when you get home and find something warm in case you get cramps.”

Claudia nodded and reached out for the pad.  Her sleeve rode up and Myka’s eyes latched onto the revealed skin.  Claudia jerked back, pushing her sleeve back down.  She cursed every deity she had just thanked.  Myka seeing the bruise was the last thing she needed.

“What happened?” Myka asked in a low voice.

“Nothing,” Claudia said.  She stepped back, her head down and arms pressed tight to her chest.

“Somebody hurt you.  That’s a handprint.”

“How would you know what a handprint looks like?”

Myka took a deep breath and Claudia could see her push her emotions down.  “Was it Kurt?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”  Her words were harsh and Myka flinched.  Claudia closed her eyes as the feeling of his fingers closing around her wrist and the wall pressed against her back rose up.  The fear that he would do something _worse_ filled her again.

“I can’t.”

The tenderness in Myka’s voice made Claudia open her eyes.  They stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

“Why do you even care?” Claudia spat in an attempt to ignore the look in Myka’s eyes.

“Because I’m your friend.”

“Look, I don’t need any help from anyone who thinks that cause they were teased a little they understand anything.”  

Myka recoiled as if she had been slapped.  “My life isn’t as perfect as you think,” she said.

“That’s right, everyone thinks you sleep around.  So what?”

_“So what_ is what happened when my dad found out.”

“Ground you?”

“Try to beat me.”

They both froze as the words filled the air around them.  Claudia could see the regret in Myka’s eyes, as if she wanted nothing more than to take the words back.

“He beat you?” Claudia quietly asked.

Emotions battled on Myka’s face, fighting between running and hiding, and talking.  Her muscles were tense and her breathing forcibly controlled.

“He tried,” Myka slowly said.  “It’s been a while since it’s actually happened.”

Claudia rushed forward without thinking.  She raised herself onto her toes and threw her arms around the taller girl.

Myka tensed for a moment then returned the hug.  Claudia felt the tension flow off of Myka and they both tightened their grip.

They parted after a few moments.  Myka smiled weakly at Claudia.

“I think I know someone we can talk to, to get you out of there,” Myka softly said.

“What about you?”

Myka glanced at the floor.  “Let’s focus on you first, okay?  We shouldn’t give him any time to do anything worse.”

Claudia wanted to tell her that it wasn’t okay.  That all Kurt had done was throw uncomfortable comments at her and push her against a wall.  That she only had to live with him for a few more months before he left for college while Myka had over two years left.

The look on Myka’s face, however, kept her quiet.

“You should probably go put that pad on,” Myka told her, ensuring that the conversation was over.


	15. Chapter 15

Claudia picked at the grass in front of her crossed legs.  A warm breeze blew through the trees, picking up the bits she had tossed to the side.

“I’m not going to force you to do this,” Myka softly said.

Claudia looked over at her.  Myka was leaning back on her arms, her legs stretched out in front of her as she watched the kids playing at the playground.

“I know it may seem like I am, but if you really don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

Myka glanced at her, then turned back to the playground.

“Are you gunna talk to her too?” Claudia softly asked.

Myka blinked a few times then bowed her head.  “Let’s focus on you first, okay?”

“Why can’t we focus on both of us?”

Myka shook her head lightly.  “You first.”

“Why?”

Myka sighed and pulled her legs in as she twisted her body towards Claudia.  “Because we don’t know how far Kurt will go.  He may not get any worse, although I doubt it, but do you want to risk it?”

“But, Myka…”

“I know how bad my dad can get and I know how to handle it.”

“Myka…”

“No, Claudia.”  Myka’s voice hardened slightly.  “I can deal a little longer.”

Claudia slumped back and started picking at the grass again.  “Are you sure Pete isn’t gunna be there?”

“He has plans to hang with Sam.”

“Sam?  The kid from the party you guys talked about?”

Myka smiled slightly.  “Yeah.”

One of Claudia’s eyebrows quirked up.  “You like him.”

Myka shrugged.  “We went out Saturday.”

“Went out, as in a date?”

Myka nodded and stared at the grass with a smile.

“Oh my god, talk!”

“It was nice.  He’s a good guy, funny, easy to talk to.  We’re going out again tonight.”

“You guys gunna…you know.”

Myka gave her a confused look.  “No.  Going to what?”

Claudia groaned.  “Gunna do…it….eventually, not necessarily tonight.”

“Oh.”  Myka bit her lip and stared at her hands.  “I dunno.  I haven’t thought about it.”

“Isn’t it a part of relationships?  Isn’t that what most people think about when they go out with someone?”

Myka shrugged. She glanced at her watch.  “Pete should be out of the house now.  You ready?”

Claudia let the change of subject slide.  She looked up at the tree and slowly nodded.

-oOo-

Pete passed the ball to Sam.  It bounced once before Sam caught it.  He spun around and shot.

They both cheered as the ball fell perfectly through the basket.  Sam grabbed the ball mid-bounce and threw it at Pete.

“Where are you taking Myka tonight?” Pete asked as he snagged the ball from the air.

“The fair set up at the Baker’s farm earlier this week.  There’s actually something to do in Jefferson for the next two weeks.  You guys have nothing here.”

“Cause there’s so much to do anywhere in this state.”

Sam relented with a tilt of his head and started to defend against Pete as he dribbled towards the basket.

“The rules her dad set aren’t helping, either.”

“I still can’t believe you met him and he’s cool with you dating her.”

“He isn’t that bad.”

“Well, you’re obviously on his good side.”

“Why aren’t you?”

“He thinks Myka and I had sex.”

“Dude, any dad would hate you.”

Pete shrugged and jumped up for a shot.  He grimaced as it bounced off the rim, right into Sam’s hands.

“Speaking about sex,” Sam started.  “How long do you think before Myka would agree to it?”

“Woah, so not going there, and neither are you.”

“What?”

“Myka’s like my best friend.  I’m so not talking about sex when it involves her.  And you’ve only been on one date, man, isn’t it a bit early to think about sex?”

“You asked me the same question about Kate before you even had your first date.”

Pete’s brow furrowed.  “I did.  Dude, is that all they are to us?”

“Who?”

“Girls.  Do we only think of them in terms of sex?”

“You’re thinking too hard, man.”

“I’m serious.”

Sam thought for a moment then shrugged.  “I don’t know.  But I do know that I do want to get to know Myka, okay?  It isn’t about sex.”

Pete watched him for a moment, then nodded.  “Good.”  He held his hands out for the ball.  He shot it perfectly after catching it.  “Cause then I would have to beat the crap out of you.”

-oOo-

Jane looked up from her book as three knocks sounded through the house.  She put the book down and stood with a sigh.  She had only gotten Pete to leave the house about an hour ago.

She quickly walked through the house and glanced through the window next to the door.  Her eyebrows rose and she opened the door.

“Pete’s not here right now, girls,” she told Myka and Claudia.  Although by the way Claudia shifted slightly and Myka bit her lip, Jane had the suspicion that they weren’t there for Pete.

“We came to see you, actually,” Myka confirmed.

Jane nodded slightly and stepped aside to let them in.  They hovered at the bottom of the stairs until she led them into the kitchen.

“Do either of you want something to drink?”

They both gave a negative reply.  Jane leaned back against the counter as the girls stood on the other side of the island.

She watched as Myka nudged Claudia slightly.  Claudia stared at the counter, avidly ignoring Myka.

“Alright, girls,” Jane finally sighed.  “What’s going on?”

Myka glanced at Claudia, who kept her eyes down, then sighed as she looked at Jane.

“Claudia wants to tell you something.”

Claudia shot Myka a look that was mostly annoyance but grateful relief also shone through.  She looked back at the counter as she spoke.

“I – uh – wanted to know if you could help me.”

“With what?”

Claudia looked at Myka.  Myka nodded and gestured towards Jane slightly.  Claudia collected herself and finally looked up at Jane.

“I wanted to know if you could help me get out of my foster home.”

Jane pushed down the emotions rising up.  “Why do you want to get out?”

Claudia turned to Myka again, looking for support.

“It’s up to you,” Myka softly told her.

Claudia nodded then took a deep breath.  She rolled up her sleeve and held her arm out towards Jane.

Jane stood up straight and stepped closer.  She gently took Claudia’s arm and took a few deep breaths to control her anger.  The bruise was dark and slightly swollen.  It wrapped around Claudia’s wrist like the fingers that had put it there.

“One of them did this to you?”

“The son, Kurt,” Claudia mumbled.

-oOo-

“Let’s try this one.”

Myka smiled as Sam pulled her to another booth.  He had just spent ten dollars trying to win the basketball challenge and hadn’t gotten a single basket.  She could practically feel his desire to prove himself.

She watched as he paid the carnie and loaded the BB gun with the pellets he received.  He tested the weight of the gun and held it against his shoulder.  The chain that had it locked to the counter was tight.

“Just shoot down five cans within ten shots,” the man said as he swung his arm back at the shelves that lined the back of the booth.

Sam nodded and fired, knocking down the first can.  He glanced at Myka.

“I hunt,” he simply said.

She quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

He turned back and fired another shot.  The pellet grazed the next can, as did the next one.  His face set and his grip on the gun tightened.  He knocked down the next two cans but no more.

“I thought you said you hunt,” Myka said with a laugh.

“I do,” Sam grunted.  “With a real gun.”

“Sure it’s not operator error?”

Sam raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.  “You try it, then.”

“I’ve never shot a gun before.”

“It’s a BB gun, you’ll be fine.  Besides, you seem to think it’s so easy.  Prove it.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped forward, taking the gun after Sam paid for more pellets.  She thought about how Sam had held the gun, how he had spread his legs, how he had concentrated on the target.  She set into the same position and squeezed the trigger.

She smiled as the first can fell.  She glanced at Sam who was watching her with a surprised look.  She smirked and turned back to the cans.

She took a deep breath and shot the next can.  It skid back slightly, but it took one more pellet to make it fall.

A few moments later five cans lay in the grass and three pellets remained in the gun.

“You’ve really never shot a gun before?” Sam asked, amazed.

“Not even a water gun.”

“I don’t believe that.”

She shrugged.  “Doesn’t make it less true.”

The carnie picked up the cans as they talked, then smiled at her.

“Take your pick of prize, young lady.”

Myka bit her lip as she inspected the prizes.  There were a few generic stuffed animals – no giraffes to her chagrin – some rip-off Muppets, and a pile of mini basketballs.

“The bunny,” she decided, pointing at the animal.  One of its large ears covered an eye while the other fell behind its head.  A bandage was sewn onto one of its paws.

The man nodded and handed it over with a smile.  Myka happily took the bunny and hugged it close.

Sam was still staring at her as they walked away.

“How did you do that?”

She shrugged.  “I just aimed.”

“Yeah, but still…”  He let out a laugh.  “You’re amazing, Bunny.”

She furrowed her brow.  “Bunny?”

“Is that alright?” he slowly asked.

She thought for a moment then nodded.  “Yeah.”

He grinned.

-oOo-

Jane sighed as she walked into the kitchen, flipping the light on as she passed the switch.  She jumped when the person standing on the other side of the island became visible.

“You wish to see me?”

“How do you do that?”  Jane wasn’t sure if she was asking about the magical appearance act or the more than slightly creepy omniscience.  Either way, she knew she wasn’t getting an answer.  “Myka and Claudia came to see me today.”

“Oh?”

“Is there any way you could get Claudia out of her current foster home?”

“Do you have any particular reason?”

“The boy, Kurt.  He’s already hurt her and threatened to do more.”

“Is that all he has done?”

“All?  What more do you want him to do?  Are you going to leave her there like you are Myka?”

Mrs. Fredric didn’t react.  “I was merely making sure he hasn’t harmed her further,” she calmly said.  “I do not wish any harm to come to either of them.”

“But you won’t do anything to prevent it.”

“I will start working on having Ms. Donovan moved as soon as possible.”

“What about Myka?”

“As she has not asked for help, there is nothing I can do; no matter how much I wish to.”

Jane sighed and leaned forward on the island.  “You’re going to get Claudia out?”

“Yes.”

“I would happily take her in.”

“I do not doubt that, but I have another idea as to where she can live.”

Jane thought for a moment.  “The Jinks’?”

“What better way to figure out if her and Mr. Jinks would work well as partners?”

Jane shook her head in slightly humor then sobered.  “But Myka…”

“I cannot help her until she wants the help.”

Jane nodded slightly.

“I would, however, like to make things move as quickly as possible, if it should come to it.”

Jane raised an eyebrow.

“I have paperwork that would allow you to become her legal guardian if such a need arises…”

“Whatever I need to do, I’ll do it.”

-oOo-

“Did you have a good time?” Sam asked as he pulled out of the impromptu grass parking lot next to the fair.

“I did,” Myka replied.  She was twisted around, staring at the fair vanish behind them, her thumb rubbing one of the bunny’s ears.

“I still can’t believe you won that thing,” he laughed.

“You’re just mad I beat you.”

He shook his head.  “You tell yourself that.”

Myka smiled and looked at the bunny.  She could still hardly believe that her father had agreed to let them go to the fair; he was hard-pressed to let them go to the Independence Day festival each year.  He insisted that fairs were a waste of time and money.

“You gunna name it?” Sam asked after a few moments of silence.

“Should I?”

“Why not?”

She tilted her head to the side as she inspected the bunny.

“Flop.”

“Flop?”

She nodded.  “Flop, because his ears are floppy.”

Sam laughed and grinned at her.  “I like it.”

They talked comfortably as they drove back into Jefferson but Sam grew quiet as they pulled up to the curb across from Bering and Sons.  He stopped the car and was out, opening her door, before she had a chance to undo her seatbelt.

She slid out of the car, Flop held tightly in her arms.  Sam shifted his weight from foot to foot and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Is it, uh, alright if I kiss you?” he asked.

Myka’s mind froze then began to race.

Sam wanted to kiss her.  Was it acceptable to kiss on a second date?  Would he hate her if she said no?  He actually wanted to kiss her.  He  _asked_ if she could kiss her.  Did she want to kiss him?  Shouldn’t she want to kiss him?  She liked him, why didn’t she want to kiss him?

His face fell slightly.  “It’s okay if you don’t-“

“It’s alright,” she said, her mouth moving on its own.

Sam grinned and stepped towards her.  He lightly pressed their lips together.  Myka fought the urge to flinch at the sensation.

He stepped back after a moment and smiled at her.  “I’ll try to come by next Saturday.”

“I can’t wait,” she replied with a smile.  Her lips felt odd after the kiss.  The smile felt over stretched.  She couldn’t figure out why people said they enjoyed kissing.

Sam walked back around to the driver’s seat and drove off.  Myka crossed the street, her mind trying to figure itself out.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to massivenerdywarehouse on tumblr for beta-ing

“Why aren’t you showered and back in your normal clothes?” Artie asked as Myka, Pete, and Claudia walked back into the Room.

“Aren’t we gunna spar?” Pete questioned.

“No.  Go shower.  I can smell you from here.”

“That’s Myka.”

“Is not,” Myka exclaimed.

“Is so.”

“Is not.”

“It’s both of you, actually,” Claudia jumped in.

“It doesn’t matter,” Artie growled.  “Go shower and get back here as quickly as possible.”

“What’s up, grumps?” Claudia asked.

Artie leveled a glare at her.  “For the next few weeks you will all be spending most of your time here studying for your final exams.”

Pete and Claudia started to protest.  Myka and Leena glanced at each other and smirked.  Artie was clearly overestimating Pete and Claudia’s ability to stay focused.

“Enough,” Artie called over the complaints.  “If you really want to complain, go shower and do it when you don’t stink.”

-oOo-

Claudia traced the cracks in the table next to her chair.  She looked up as a door opened, only to slump back down as another peon intern rushed passed.

She had been sitting in the front office of the social services building for nearly thirty minutes and still had no idea why she was even there.  The Smollers had told her before she had left for school that the worker in charge of her wanted to see her.

So, after she had gotten home from school, having asked Pete to tell Artie that she wasn’t going to be there, they had all piled into their tiny two-door coup and driven the two and a half hours to Featherhead.

The hope that Jane had managed to make something happen kept pushing its way into her mind.  She didn’t want to hope, though.  She had talked to Jane just three days ago, and one of those days had still been a weekend.

Another door opened and she looked up to see her worker, Ms. Kadok.

“You can come in now, Claudia,” the woman said.

Claudia pushed herself to her feet and walked into the office.

A woman was already sitting in front of Ms. Kadok’s desk.  She turned to Claudia with a smile.  Claudia eyed her as she sat down.

“Claudia,” Ms. Kadok said after sitting.  “This is Emma Jinks.  She’s going to be your new foster mother.”

Claudia’s heart inflated.  Jane had kept her promise.

-oOo-

Pete groaned as he walked into the Room.  He plopped down at his desk and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.  Myka shook her head at his antics and sat down as well.

“Study,” Artie said from across the room where he was helping Leena with something on the computer.

“We know, old man,” Pete grumbled.  Artie shot a glare at him but didn’t say anything.  “I wish Claudia was here.”

“She’ll be here tomorrow,” Myka told him as she pulled her math book out of her bag.

“Where do you think she is?  It must be important if she’s missing two days.”

Myka shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Just get to work.”

“I don’t wanna.  I wanna do something different.  I’m bored of studying.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“You only think that cause you’re weird  _and_  got a break from it yesterday.”

She looked up from her book to glare at him.

Pete groaned but pulled his binder out.  He opened it to a random section and started to read, absently tapping his pencil against the desk.

They worked in silence for about thirty minutes, then Pete slammed his pencil down and sat back.

“I can study at home,” he grumbled.  “I could be at home right now.”

“Would you actually be studying?” Myka asked without looking up.

“Y _e_ s…” he exaggerated the e, “…nooo.”

She smirked and looked up at him.  “Maybe it will help you actually pass your exams.

“Hey, I passed all of my exams last year.”

“Sure you did.”

“One C, three Bs, and two As,” he proudly recited.

“A in PE?”

“And history.”

“History?”

He shrugged.  “I like history.  What did you get?” he asked.

“Six As and a B.”

He whistled.  “Six As?  Damn.”

Her face darkened slightly.  She leaned back in her chair and watched her pencil rotate around her fingers.  “Yeah.”

He watched her for a moment.  “They focused on the B, didn’t they?”

She nodded.

“What was it in?”

“Algebra.”

“With Chewzeski?”

“Yup.”

“Didn’t most people fail that exam?”

She shrugged.  “Didn’t matter to him.”

Pete looked down at his study guide.  Pencil scratches covered the entire thing.  Doodles danced up the margins and across the heading.  The highlighting was sporadic and slightly excessive.

“Could you, maybe, help me with a few of my classes?” he slowly asked.  “Once you’re done with yours.”

She looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow.  “I’m not sleeping with you in exchange.”

“Duly noted.”

She watched him through narrowed eyes then laughed.  “What help do you need?”

-oOo-

Claudia grunted as she hefted her last bag into the trunk.  She glanced back at the Smoller’s house, only to turn away instantly at the sight of Kurt watching her through his window.

She took a breath to calm herself.  She didn’t have to deal with him anymore, not as long as she could avoid him for the last few weeks of school.

“Are you going somewhere?”

She jumped at the voice then turned to see Todd watching her.

“What?  Oh, yeah.  I’m going to a new home.”

His face dropped slightly.  “Oh.”

“Just across town,” she quickly added.  “We can still get together.”

“So, you wanna come back this weekend?  There’s more I can show you on my computer.”

“That’d be great.”

He grinned.  “Saturday, 3:30?”

“Make it 3:15.”

“Great.”

“Is everything packed up?” Emma asked as she walked up to them. 

“Yup, everything.”

“Alright.  Are you ready to go?”

Claudia nodded.  “I’ll see you Saturday, Todd.”

“I can’t wait.”  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.  She stared after him as he ran off.

“Who was that?” Emma asked.

“Todd,” she muttered.

She could see the questions on Emma’s face and braced herself.

“Have you said your goodbyes to the Smollers?”

Claudia relaxed slightly and nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”  Emma opened her door but waited until Claudia was in before climbing in.

-oOo-

Claudia rubbed her hands together.  Her head was bowed and her legs bounced.  She hated this part, meeting the new family, intruding on their space, the desperate hope it would work this time.

“Are you ready?” Emma asked.  It was the first thing either of them had said the entire ride.

Claudia glanced at the house the car was parked in front of, then shrugged.

“I know this can’t be easy.”

Claudia looked over at the woman.

“From what Mrs. Kadok said, your last home wasn’t that great.”

Claudia looked back down at her lap, her hair falling forward as a curtain.  Last few, actually, but she wasn’t going to mention that.

“It’s not going to be like that here.  Okay?”

Claudia nodded slightly.

“Okay.  We’ll go in whenever you’re ready.”

Claudia looked at the house again and took a deep breath.  She unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her bag.

Emma nodded and climbed out of the car.  She was already next to Claudia’s door by the time the girl was stepping out.

“Steve and Olivia are both home right now,” Emma said as she led Claudia to the door.  “They should have finished getting your room ready.”

Claudia’s knuckles turned white around her bag straps.  She stared up at the house as she walked towards it.  It looked a lot like Pete’s, which was just a few streets away, and certainly looked better than any other foster home she had been put in.

Emma led her inside, calling to her kids as she passed the stairs, then to a nicely decorated living room.

Claudia awkwardly stood next to the entrance and watched as a young girl rushed into the room, soon followed by a boy about her age.

“Claudia, these are my kids, Steve and Olivia.  Guys, this is Claudia.  She’s going to be living with us.”

The girl, Olivia, tilted her head to the side.  Her braid flopped over her shoulder.  “For how long?” she asked.

“For as long as she wants.”

Olivia grinned.  “Cool.  Can we show her her room?”

“If she wants you to.”

Olivia turned to Claudia with wide eyes.  “Can we?  Please, please please?”

Claudia looked from the girl to her mother.  “Sure,” she replied, drawing the word out in slight apprehension.

The girl cheered, grabbed Claudia’s hand and started to pull her through the house, Steve close behind them.  Claudia glanced at Emma over her shoulder.  The woman was chuckling lightly.

Claudia’s attention was grabbed by the girl as she began explaining everything they passed.

“That’s where we keep our shoes when we’re in the house.  You’re new, so you can keep yours on.”

…

“Our dad re-did the stairs right before he left to go overseas.  They used to creek.  It kept me up  _allllll_  night”

…

“That’s ‘Shire, our kitty.  It’s short for Cheshire Cat, which is from Alice in Wonderland.”

…

“That’s Steve’s room.  I’m not allowed in there, but that’s okay, cause he’s a stinky boy and he’s not allowed in my room either.”

…

“And, this is your room.”

Claudia glanced at the siblings then around the room.  It was small, but still larger than her last few.  It was brighter, too.  Sunlight shone through the window that was over the bed.  A dresser sat at the foot of the bed, an alarm clock and lamp sitting on top.  A desk had been pushed into the corner next to the closet door.

“It’s nice,” she absently commented.

“I put the clean sheets on the bed,” Olivia proclaimed.

“Thanks.”

“Steve vacuumed,” the girl continued.  “He didn’t wanna cause he doesn’t like vacuuming.  “She leaned towards Claudia and wrapped her hands around her mouth.  “I think the noise scares him,” she stage whispered.

“I heard that,” Steve objected from the door.

Olivia grinned at him, then turned back to Claudia.

“Is that all you have?” she asked as she eyed Claudia’s bag.

Claudia’s grip on the strap tightened.  “The rest is in the car,” she muttered.

“Are you going to bring it in tonight?”

“I guess.”

“When?”

“Stop pestering her,” Steve cut in.

“I’m not pestering,” Olivia replied.  She stuck her tongue out at Steve.

Steve rolled his eyes.

Claudia subtly looked between the two.  They reminded her of Pete and Myka more than anything else.  She fought back a smile.  Maybe this place would work out.

-oOo-

Claudia pulled her clean shirt over her head and nudged her locker shut with her hip.  She never would have believed it, but each run was easier than the last.  They had just run for forty minutes and while her legs were tired, she didn’t feel like she was about to collapse.

“How’s your new place?” Myka asked.

Claudia turned to her.  She was looking through her bag, but looked up after a moment.

Claudia took a moment before answering.  “It’s good,” she said.  “I like them.”  She had only spent the one night there so far, but dinner had gone well.

Myka grinned.  “Good.”  She turned back to her bag.

Claudia watched Myka as she finished with whatever she was doing her in her bag.  Myka raised an eyebrow when she turned to find Claudia’s eyes on her.

“Are you going to talk to Jane soon?” Claudia slowly asked.

Myka glanced down and shrugged.

“Please don’t stay there.”

Myka looked up and her face softened.  “Once exams are over, okay?”

“Why?  Why not now?”

“I just… I can’t, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay.”

Myka looked up, lip between her teeth.  “I…I can’t leave Tracy.”

Claudia stared at Myka.  Her chest felt small as she processed what Myka had said.  “You protect her.”

Myka nodded.  Claudia shook her head and looked at the floor for a few moments before looking back up.  Anger and pain coursed through her.

“Why?  Why would you do that?”

“Because she’s my little sister.”

“So?  Do you really think she’ll be grateful?”

Myka blinked and lightly shook her head in confusion.  “That’s not important.”

“Good.”  Myka recoiled at the venom in Claudia’s voice.  “Because she won’t be grateful.  She’ll hate you for it.  And if something happens to you because of it, she will resent every time she looked to you for protection and she will hate herself because she could have stopped it.”

“Claudia, what…”

Claudia just shook her head and swallowed back the tears that threatened.  Myka stepped towards Claudia.  It was the concern etched across Myka’s face that made Claudia turn and escape through the door that left the building.

She jogged around the building until she was on the opposite side of the door.  She pressed herself into a corner by the cafeteria entrance and closed her eyes as she focused on controlling her breaths.  Her muscles burned and her mind raced.

“Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?”

Claudia’s eyes flew open as a body pressed against her.  She looked up at Kurt as he smiled down at her.  One of his hands dropped to her hip in a bruising grip and he pushed her against the wall.

“Leave me alone,” she said.  Her voice wavered and lowered as she spoke.  She rasped out a “please” but he just laughed.

“You pushed me to this, Claudia.  Remember that.”


	17. Chapter 17

Myka stared at the door Claudia had vanished through.  She was frozen in shock.  She had no idea what had actually pushed Claudia to that point.  The only possibility she could think of was that, maybe, Claudia had once had an older sibling to protect her.  Maybe.  And maybe something had happened to them.

She rushed into motion and ran through the door.  She quickly scanned the track then sprinted down the side of the school.  Claudia couldn’t have gotten far.

She jumped the short fence separating the athletic area from the parking lot.  She kept her eyes wide as she ran.  She breezed past the front of the school and slid around the corner down the marching band practice area.

She froze, heart pounding and breath catching in her chest, as a flash of red hair caught her eyes.  Kurt had Claudia pinned in the corner next to the door that led to the arts hallway.  She crossed the distance in moments and pulled Kurt away from Claudia.  She stepped around him, putting herself between them.

Claudia’s terrified breaths hit the back of her neck, giving her strength as Kurt glared down at her.

“If you know what’s good for you, Bering, you’ll leave now,” he growled.

“No.”

His nose flared and his forehead creased.  “If you really want a turn, you’ll have to wait.”

“I’m not going to wait because you aren’t going to do anything.”

He stepped forward.  Myka leaned back.  Claudia twisted her hands in the back of Myka’s shirt and pressed her face into her back.  Myka reached behind her and grabbed one of Claudia’s hands.  She hoped that Claudia got the strength she tried to give her as she squeezed her hand.

“Don’t test me.”

“This isn’t a test.  Walk away.”

He put a heavy hand on her shoulder.  She quickly batted it away.

“Don’t touch me,” she said.

He wrapped his hands around her arms and slammed her against the wall next to Claudia.  He pressed himself against her.  “I will touch you all I want,” he hissed in her ear.

She started to shut down beneath the fear.  His breath was hot against her skin and he pressed harder against her.  Her world narrowed to him in front of her and the wall behind her.

Claudia whimpered.

Myka, snapped back to reality, brought her knee up with all of her strength.  He let out a cry and stumbled back, his hands clutching his groin.  Without thinking, Myka swung and clocked him in the jaw.

Kurt lost his balance, falling onto his back.  His jaw hung limp and was already swelling.

Myka stared at him in shock for a few moments, then down at her fist.  She started to shake.  Her breathing sped up.

“Myka?”  She barely heard the word as it fell from Claudia’s lip.

She turned to Claudia.  The girl was still pushed into the corner, her eyes wide and lips shaking.  She was staring at Kurt.

“You okay?”  Myka forced the words out, past the lump in her throat.

Claudia’s gaze snapped to Myka.  They just stared at each other for a few moments, then Claudia stepped forward.  She pressed her face into Myka’s shirt and clutched the back of Myka’s shirt.  Myka held Claudia tightly, hoping to dispel the shaking in the younger girl’s body.

“Uh’king ‘itch.”

They both jumped at the spluttered words.  Myka quickly pushed Claudia behind her and glared down at Kurt.  He was slowly pushing himself up.

“I h’wear, imma…”

“You’re going to what, Mr. Smoller?”

They all turned to see Mrs. Reynolds watching them, arms crossed.

“He’pot ‘er,” Kurt slurred.  “Ooo a ‘ee-cher.”

Mrs. Reynolds gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him.

“All three of you, come with me.”

-oOo-

Myka stared at her lap as she sat in the principal’s office.  She focused on not breaking down but her body still shook with each forced breath and all she could hear was a roaring in her ear.

Was she going to be like her dad?  She had punched Mike just a few months ago, and now Kurt.  Was she going to turn to violence just like him?

“Myka…Myka… _Myka…_ ”

Her head jerked up and she met the eyes of Dr. Sinclair.

“I don’t understand,” he said.  “You’re a good student.  Straight A’s, near perfect attendance, great reviews from your teachers, and, until a few months ago, no disciplinary action.  Now, you have one week of ISS on your record and suspension coming your way.  What happened?”

Myka blankly stared at him, then looked down at his desk.  Everything was perfectly organized, with the exception of the slightly off centered nameplate.

“Something happened today.  I can’t help you until I know what.”

Panic pushed further down on Myka.  Her chest grew heavy and she kept her jaw clamped as it threatened to shake and her stomach churned.

Dr. Sinclair sighed.  “All I know right now is that Kurt has a dislocated jaw and that you are the one who did it.  From that it appears that you are the instigator.”

“That’s not true,” Myka blurted out.

“Then what is?”

Myka steeled herself and took a deep breath.  She hoped for the tears that threatened to hold on just a little longer.

“I was looking for Claudia and when I found her, Kurt had her pinned in the corner.  She looked terrified, so I pulled him from her.  He pushed me against the wall and threatened me, so I kneed and punched him.”

She spoke quickly as the nausea rose and a lump in her throat made breathing difficult.

“That’s what happened?”

She nodded.

“Okay.  Unfortunately, even though you were defending yourself, you physically attacked him and put him in the hospital.”

Myka nodded.

“You and Kurt will both be suspended next week.”

“What about Claudia?” Myka blurted before he could continue.

“She won’t be punished.”

Myka nodded in relief.

“Your parents have been called.  They are on their way to pick you up.”

She stopped breathing for a few moments.  “My parents?”

“Yes.  I will talk to them and explain the situation before you leave.”

Myka nodded absently.

“You can go wait in the front.”

She numbly stood and walked out of the office.

-oOo-

Pete watched the front door of the school.  He flinched as he leaned his head back and hit the lamppost he was seated under.  Claudia and Myka hadn’t left the locker room after their run.  When Leena had checked the locker room only to find it empty, Artie had gone to search for them, only to come back with the news that they were both in the principal’s office.

Pete had been waiting for them to come out since Artie had sent him home.  Leena had stayed for a bit as well, but had claimed after a while to have something important that she couldn’t miss.

He jumped up as Claudia left the school, closely followed by Emma.

Claudia was pale and shaking slightly.  Her hand was tightly wrapped around her bag strap.  Her head was bowed.

“Hey,” he called as he jogged towards her.

She flinched slightly, then gave him a small smile.

“What happened?  Are you okay?  Where’s Myka?”

Claudia took a deep breath and hugged herself.

“Kurt,” she murmured.  “Myka…Myka saved me.  He’s in the hospital.  She’s suspended.”

Pete blinked a few times.  “What?”

“I’ll tell you next week, I just…I wanna get away from here right now.”

He nodded.  “Are you okay, at least?”

She gave a shaky nod.

“Okay,” he said.  “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She smiled again at his concern, then rose onto her toes to hug him.

“I can give you a ride home,” Emma said after they parted.

He glanced at the door again.  “I want to wait for Myka.”

“She’s with her dad,” Claudia murmured.

Pete looked down and nodded.  It would only be worse for Myka if her dad saw him.

“A ride would be great,” he said with a sigh.  “Thank you.”

-oOo-

Myka sat as far away from her father as she could.  The seatbelt bit into her side but all she was conscious of was her heart beating in her throat and her blood rushing in her ears.  Her breathing was shallow and her hands were shaking slightly.

She jumped when her door opened – she hadn’t even realized the car had stopped.  She stared at the glove box for a moment then turned to see her dad glaring at her.

“Out,” he ordered.

She carefully climbed out, pressing her back against the car.  She flinched as he slammed the door, barely missing her.

He grabbed her arm and forced her towards the door.  She was numb as he pushed her into the back room.  She didn’t notice Tracy watching from behind the stacks.  She didn’t notice tripping over the stairs.  She didn’t notice her mom’s concerned look as they passed the living room.

It wasn’t until he threw her into her room that she came to.  Her feet tangled beneath her, sending her to the floor.

“Stay here.  Do not come out until I say you can.”

“Please.”  The word slipped out without consent and she flinched back before he moved.

He grabbed her arm again and lifted her up.

“Please what?  You fucked up, not that I expected much else from you.”

She tried to pull free from him but he just tightened his grip.

“Dad,” she whimpered.

Her face erupted in pain as he backhanded her.  She froze as he gripped her face with his free hand.  He pulled her close, his fingers biting into the tender skin.

“Stay.”

He threw her down and left, slamming the door behind him.

Myka slowly pushed herself up.  She absently stepped to the door, locking it, then turned to face her room.  The light coming through her window was dim as the sun set.

She glanced at her clock; only an hour until it was dark.

She burst into motion as she moved around the room, gathering stuff she would absolutely need the next few days.

She couldn’t return.

She gently pressed her fingers into the swelling on the side of her face.

There was no way she could return.

An hour later the light had faded and she was packed.  She slowly opened her window and, after making sure there was nobody around, dropped her bag to the ground.

She took a deep breath and took one last look at her room before sliding through the window herself.  She slowly lowered herself down the drainpipe, grateful as always that it was older and gave her places to hold.

When she was just a few feet above the ground, she jumped, landing lightly.  She grabbed her bag and quickly made her way down the back street.

As she walked, she thought of how she was going to tell Jane.  She figured the bruise on her face would be the  _perfect_ opener, but could she actually say the words she needed to say?

She slowed as she reached the end of the street, then jogged across the intersecting road to the park.

Her thoughts quieted as she walked through the trees.  The already quiet sounds of the town muted even more as she neared the center of the park.  All she could hear was the rustle of the leaves.

The panic she had been fighting since she had first confronted Kurt melted away.

The park was her place.  It had been her retreat for years.

It had been her place to escape from her father.  It had been a place for her to escape from the kids at school.  It had been her place to escape every pressure she felt.

Now, it was part of the journey to her new life.

She reached out and brushed her hand against a tree – the one she had first managed to climb up single-handed as her other hand had clutched a book.

She looked up and stared at the dark sky through the gaps in the leaves.

She could feel her old life melting off of her beneath the stars.  She smiled, ignoring the way it stretched her cheek.  Everything was going to be different.

She was going to be free.

She stopped again as she reached the road on the other side of the park.  She glanced both ways, her eyes straining against the lightless street, then stepped into the road.

The car didn't have its lights on.  The driver didn’t see her.


	18. Chapter 18

Jane flinched as a loud clatter sounded behind her.  She turned the faucet off and turned to Pete, reprimand on her tongue.  She bit her remark back as she took in the way Pete was standing – stock still and ignoring the ice cream all over the floor.

“Pete?”

He didn’t respond.  He didn’t move.  He just stood, then sprinted towards the door.

“Pete!” she yelled after him.

“Something’s wrong,” he called back.  “Really wrong.”

The door slammed before she could respond again.  She groaned and dried her hands before following him, grabbing her keys as she went.

-oOo-

Pete swore he ran faster than he ever had before.  The oozing sensation fueled him as it climbed up his chest.  It pushed him forward, gave him no other purpose.

Memories of the last time he had felt anything like it pushed their way to the front of his mind.  Watching his father walk out the door.  Not saying anything.  Listening through the door as his mother was told the news.  The cold realization that his dad was…  He couldn’t go through that again.

So, he ran.

He could only think of one person that could be in that much danger.  Only one person whose life could be at risk.

So, he ran towards Myka.

He slowed slightly as he left the neighborhood.  The road he had to cross only led to the rec center and a back road behind Main Street.  Few cars drove down the road at night, but the ones that did typically ignored the traffic laws.

He picked his speed up again when he noticed _something_ piled up not far down the road.

He went even faster as he noticed the stars reflecting in _something_ on the street.

The hole in his gut grew worse and his heart fell through it as the _something_ became clear.

Her body was twisted, half in the gutter, half on the street.  Blood was streaming from her leg where – he nearly threw up – part of a bone was sticking out.

He stumbled as he slowed to a stop next to her.  He let out a choked cry as he fell to his knees.  He brushed some hair out of her face.  A few strands were stuck in blood dried in the corner of her mouth.

He pressed two fingers into her neck and held his breath until he felt her pulse – weak but there – fluttering.

“Hold on, Mykes,” he rasped.  “Just hold on.”

He patted his pants, only to remember that he was wearing sweats and his phone was in his room.

He frantically looked up and down the street, hoping for anyone to be within reachable distance.  He stared at the sky for a moment in desperation, then looked down at Myka.

He didn’t want to leave her, but he had to find help.

“I’ll be right back,” he softly said.  “I promise.”

He stood and jogged down the street.

“Hey!” he yelled when a car appeared at the turn to his neighborhood.  He waved his arms over his head.

He sprinted forward as the car turned towards him, then picked up his speed when he recognized the car as his mother’s.

The driver’s window was down when he reached it.

“It’s Myka,” he gasped before Jane could say anything.  “I think someone hit her with their car.”

Jane stared at him for a moment, processing.  “Go to her.  I’ll call 911.”

Pete took off without responding.  He slid to a stop next to Myka, gently taking one of her hands in his own.

“It’s gunna be okay Myka,” he said, his voice breaking.  “You’re gunna be okay.  They’re gunna come take you to the hospital and they’re gunna make sure you get better.”

He glanced back.  His mom had pulled to the side of the road and was walking towards them as she quickly talked on the phone.

He looked back at Myka to find glossy green eyes staring back.

“Hey,” he whispered.  “You’re gunna be okay.”

“Hurts.”  The word was garbled and fresh blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

“I know.  I know.  There’s an ambulance on the way, okay?”

She made a noise of understanding and her eyes slid shut.

“No, Myka, you need to stay awake,” he quickly said.

“Sleep,” she slurred.

“You can sleep in a bit, alright?  Right now, you need to stay awake.”

Unblinking, she stared at him.  He cupped the side of her face with his free hand, brushing the blood away with his thumb.

He forced a smile when sirens sounded in the distance.

“See, they’re on the way.  You have to stay awake.”

Myka let out a whine that got stuck in her throat and turned into a cough.  Pete watched in horror as the one cough turned into many.  She struggled to breathe between coughs, her chest heaving sporadically.

“Myka, breathe.  Please.”

A paramedic appeared on her other side as strong arms pulled him from her.

“No!” he yelled as he struggled.  “Myka!”

“Calm down,” the man pulling him back grunted.  “We need space to help her.”

Pete struggled for another moment, then relaxed.  He fell to the ground and stared as the paramedics worked.  Most of them tried to steady her breathing while a few grouped around her leg.

He jumped as someone appeared in his peripheral.  He turned to find his mother sitting next to him.  Her face was grim and pale.  Officers milled around the street, comparing notes and talking on their walkies.

“Is she gunna be okay?” he asked, his voice childlike.

She wrapped an arm around him and held him close.  “I don’t know.”

He pressed into her as the noise from the paramedics increased and their pace neared the border of frantic.  They lifted Myka into the ambulance, a series of tubes surrounding her.

“What’s happening?” Pete asked as he stood.  The feeling in his gut grew worse, as if the ooze was thickening, making it hard for him to breathe.  “Mom…is she…where are…”

Jane stood as well.  “Come on,” she said as she started to lead him to the car.

The drive to the hospital was tense.

Pete was sitting with his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly.  Every few minutes the feeling would spike, then recede.  He squeezed his eyes shut to keep himself from crying.

He couldn’t lose Myka.  More than that, however, it just wasn’t fair for Myka.  She had such a crappy home, and when she tried to leave, shit like this happened.

He didn’t understand what the world had against her.  She was such a great person, genuinely good and epically amazing, but it seemed like she had nothing good in her life.  Every time she got a break, something else ruined it.

-oOo-

_Pain_

Physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc

A distressing [sensation](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sensation) in a particular part of the body

Mental or emotional suffering or torment

_Pain_

Agony

Anguish

Discomfort

Misery

Torment

Torture

_Pain_

From the Middle English word _peine:_ punishment, torture, pain

From the Latin word _poena:_ penalty, pain

From the Greek word  _poinḗ:_ penalty

_Pain_

The information streamed through Myka’s mind.  A recitation; a feeble attempt to pull her mind from the pain – agony – misery – torture – pain that gripped her body.

A few glimpses of reality snuck through.

Pete’s face; worry and terror painting his features in a way she never wanted to see again.

Numerous paramedics and doctors; moving in a frantic haze.

Her father; stony face and harsh eyes.

Brief moments of color in the white haze of pain.

_Pain_

-oOo-

Jane sighed as she sat down next to Pete.  She had tried, once again, to get any information about Myka from the nurse.  The woman refused to give anything up, instead sticking to the ‘family only’ policy.

Jane reached over and wrapped her arm around Pete’s shoulder.  He leaned on her, his head on her shoulder.

“Why won’t they tell us?” he murmured.

“They can’t,” Jane softly answered.  “It’s against their policy.”

“It’s a stupid policy.”

Jane hummed her agreement.

“They’re the reason she’s even here.”

Jane closed her eyes.  She didn’t have to ask who Pete was talking about and didn’t want to ask how much he knew.

Even if she was going to ask anything, she didn’t get the chance as the Bering’s walked up to the nurse at the counter.

“We should go,” Jane whispered.

“Why?” Pete huffed.  “It’s not like they actually care.”

“Pete.”

He groaned and stood. 

“I’ll find out what I can later,” she told him as they moved towards the entrance of the waiting room.

“I don’t like leaving her.”

“Neither do I, but I think it’s for the best.”

Warren Bering turned as they passed.  He leveled a dark glare at Pete before turning back to the nurse.

-oOo-

Tracy didn’t understand.  Myka was the good one.  Myka was the one who did what she was told.  Myka was not supposed to be the one who snuck out.  Myka was not supposed to end up in the hospital.

Well, Myka had ended up in the hospital before, but it had always been her fault.  She fell down the stairs.  She slipped on water in the bathroom.  She tripped on a pile of books in the store.

She was not supposed to be hurt by anyone.

Tracy pushed down the memories of her father’s harsh words and harsh punishments towards her sister.

Myka was not supposed to be hurt by anyone.

She especially was not supposed to be hurt after sneaking out, after getting grounded for fighting, after acting so un-Myka.

Tracy sighed, then yawned.  She had been getting ready for bed when her mother, head down and eyes watery, had entered her room.

_“You’re sister was hit by a car.”_

Tracy hadn’t believed her at first.  Myka was supposed to be in her room.  Myka was supposed to be the good one.  Myka wasn’t supposed to sneak out.

She looked up at the door of the waiting room.  The door the doctor had just left through, her father on his tail, and the bitter-sweet stench of the news he had given thick in their air.

Myka was alive, badly injured and in for a few months of pain, but alive.

She pulled her feet onto her chair and let silent tears fall.  She knew she had been cruel to Myka in the past.  She was just always worried of losing herself in Myka’s shadow.  She would hear the teachers compare her to Myka or the librarians talking about how much potential Myka had.

Myka was not supposed to be hurt by anyone.  Tracy slowly realized that Myka was actually hurt by pretty much everyone.

-oOo-

Something was wrong with Pete.  Leena knew it the moment she saw him sitting under the tree.

Actually, she knew the moment she answered her phone just an hour ago.  His voice had been tight and cracked multiple times.

The uncertainty had settled on her and only grew heavier during the drive to the park, then began to suffocate her at the sight of him and Claudia.

Pete had an air of uncertain terror clinging to him while Claudia just seemed uncertain and uncomfortable in her uncertainty.

She groaned when they noticed Leena approaching.

“Now can you tell us?” Claudia asked as Leena sat with them.

Pete gave a jerky nod but said nothing.  His eyes were locked on the grass in front of his crossed legs.

“C’mon,” Claudia whined.  “It’s ten in the morning on a Saturday.  I should still be passed out in my bed.”

Pete took a shuddering breath and looked up.

“It’s Myka,” he husked.  “She’s…she’s in the hospital.”

Air was pulled from Leena’s lungs.  Before she could react, however, Claudia was speaking.

“What did her dad do?”

Both Pete and Leena turned to her.  Her jaw was clenched and her eyes wide.

“You know about…” Pete shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.  “It wasn’t him.  It was…a hit and run.  The car was nowhere in sight when I found her.”

Claudia let out a choked sound.  “No. nonononono.  Not a car crash.  Anything but a car crash, please.”

Pete’s breaths were raspy.  “The doctors…they wouldn’t let us see her…or tell us anything…”  His voice trembled and tears began to roll down his face.  “We…we left when her family showed up…”  His chin shook slightly.  The tears collected under his chin and dripped off.  “She looked so…she was…”

A sob ripped through his body.  Leena moved forward to comfort him, but froze when a flash of color came from Claudia.  Leena turned to her and flinched at the bright colors that moved in a frenzied dance around her.

Leena stared.  The colors around Claudia were vivid, angry, and scared.

The colors vanished as quickly as they appeared as Claudia’s face went blank.

“I have to go,” she mumbled as she stood.  She turned and walked away.

Leena glanced at Pete.  He was hastily wiping the tears off of his face.

“I’ll talk to her, then be right back,” she told him before chasing after Claudia.

It didn’t take long for her to catch up to Claudia.  The younger girl was hunched over, her arms wrapped around her stomach.

Leena easily stepped around her, stopping her in her path.

“I need to go,” Claudia whispered.  Her voice was strained, as if her throat was tight and dry.

“Do you want a ride?”

Claudia shook her head and shuffled her feet.  “I’ll just walk.”

“She’s going to be okay,” Leena told her.  “I know she is.”

“How can you know?”

“Because Myka’s strong.”

“So?  It doesn’t matter that she’s strong.  People die in car accidents.  They die and they leave me.”

Leena let out a quick breath.  “That’s what happened to your family, isn’t it?”

Claudia froze for a moment, then nodded.  Her fingers grasped at her sides.  Her entire body was tense.

Leena gently pulled her into a hug.  Claudia just stood there for a moment, then relaxed.  She wrapped her arms around Leena and pressed her face into her neck.

Leena kept her breathing even as she held herself together.  With Claudia’s tears hot against her neck, her fingers digging into her back, and Pete breaking down just around the bend, she knew she had to be the one to stay strong.


	19. Chapter 19

The first thing she became aware of was that she was breathing.  She was pulling air through her nose.  She was pushing air out of her nose.  Her lungs inflated.  Her lungs deflated.

The second thing she became aware of was that each breath hurt.  Her nose burned as she forced the air through it.  Her chest ached with each expansion.

The third thing she became aware of was that everything hurt.  Her head pounded.  Her chest ached.  Her back burned.  Her leg screamed.

Then, she wasn’t aware anymore.

-oOo-

The first thing she became aware of was that the pain was gone.  Instead, she was numb.  She was void of all feeling.

Except the terror that gripped her.  She didn’t know where she was.  She didn’t know what had happened.  Her mind was as blank as her body was numb.

-oOo-

…beep…beep…

…beep…beep…

“…rey went well…”

…beep…beep…

“…pins in her leg…”

“…plates around her bo…”

…beep…beep…

“…potential concussi…”

…beep…beep…

…beep…beep…

…beep…beep…

…beep…beep…

-oOo-

Sam sighed.

The lights in the bookstore were all off, at 3 in the afternoon on a Saturday.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and slumped away.  Myka had said that she was going to be home.  He had planned on taking her to Ted’s, then a movie if her dad was cool with it.  If he had managed to convince her to make-out in the back of the theater, the old man would never know.

Of course, it didn’t look like any of that was going to happen because he had no idea where Myka was.

He crossed the street to get back into his car.  He might as well go see if Pete was home and hope that Myka would be back later.

He really didn’t want to have driven all the way to Jefferson for nothing.

When he reached Pete’s house, he groaned.  There was no car in the driveway and nobody answered when he knocked.

He sent Pete a text and reclined back in his seat.

Pete called him just moments later.

“What gives, man?” Sam asked.  “Where is everyone?”

“Mykas in the hospital,” Pete answered.  His voice was tight.  “She was hit by a car.”

Sam pulled his phone from his ear and stared at it for a moment.  When he raised the phone back up, Pete was silent.

“Is…is she okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“What…what should I do?  Should I…I dunno…go see her in the hospital?”

“No.  Just…just go home.  I’ll let you know anything I find out.”

“What?  Pete, she’s my girlfriend.  I’m not just gunna sit by.  I can’t.”

Pete didn’t reply.

“I’m going,” Sam decided.

“That’s not the best idea.”

“Why not?”

“Just trust me.”

“I’m sorry, Pete, but I have to go at least try to see her.”

“…Fine, just tell me what…how…”

“I’ll tell you.”

“Thanks.”

-oOo-

She woke to a man leaning over her, checking something on her shoulder.  She jerked away.  She let out a cry at the pain that tore through her body.

He stepped back in surprise, then smiled at her.

“It’s good to see you awake.”

She groaned, still partially in the grip of unconsciousness.

“How do you feel?”

She just groaned again.

“I thought as much.”  The nurse wrote something on the clipboard he was carrying.  “You’re on some pretty heavy meds right now.  We’re going to gradually decrease the dosage throughout the day.”

“…’appened?”

He grimaced.  “You were hit by a car.  The last I heard the cops are still looking for the guy.”

She blinked rapidly, trying to pull the memory up.

Elation at her decision…the crunch beneath her foot as she stepped on a lose piece of gravel…the sudden growl of a car engine…Pete hovering above her…nothing…

“Do you remember anything?”

“Pain.”

-oOo-

Sam absently scrolled through his phone as he paced back and forth in the waiting room.  The nurse had told him that the Berings’ had just left to get food in the hospital cafeteria.

“The poor family,” she had said.  “They’ve been here over a day now, hoping for good news.”

She had refused to tell him anything else.  That had been over an hour ago.

“Sam?”

He turned.

“Mrs. Bering?  I heard about Myka.  How is she?”

The woman sat, her eyes red and her arms around her waist.  She stared at the floor and lightly shook her head.

Sam sat in the chair next to her.

“Her father’s with her now,” she said.  “She finally woke up from her surgery.”

-oOo-

“What the fuck are you up to?”

Her father’s voice was rough and dangerous.  She whimpered as it settled low in her brain and beat against her skull.

“Did you think you could just leave?”

She had.

“Did you think that anyone would take you in?”

She had.

“You are mine, do you understand?”

She did.

-oOo-

Pete tossed his phone onto the grass and leaned back against the tree.  He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the sky through the leaves above them.  They had been waiting to hear from Sam since Pete had called him a few hours ago.

Now that they had news, he couldn’t bring himself to look.

Claudia reached forward and snatched his phone.  She hunched over the phone as she read the text. 

“She’s alive,” she murmured.  “And she’s woken up.”

Pete let out a relieved laugh.  “She’s alive,” he said.  His voice was thick.  “Thank God, she’s alive.”

Claudia stared at the words until the screen shut off, then she just stared at her reflection on the screen.

“She’s going to be okay,” Leena murmured.  She wrapped an arm around Claudia and squeezed her shoulder.  “She’s going to be okay.”

Claudia took a shuddering breath and nodded.

-oOo-

Myka stared up at the ceiling.

She had been awake for forty-seven minutes.  It was the longest she had been awake so far.  Her previous longest had been thirty-four.  Thirty-four minutes and twelve seconds.  She had fallen asleep half way through counting the thirteenth second.

Her counting was interrupted by the door opening.  She tensed slightly, her heart pounding in her chest and the beeping next to her speeding up.  The last time that had happened it had been her dad.  His words still rang through her head and she could only imagine how much worse it would have been if she hadn’t fallen asleep – ten minutes and twenty-two seconds.

She was relieved when a nurse walked into her line of sight.

“It’s good to see you awake.”

“Forty-eight minutes,” she mumbled.

The nurse paused then smiled.  “That’s good.  You seem to be reacting well to the decreased levels of medication.”

Myka moaned slightly.

“A few officers want to talk with you soon, and we’re hoping you’ll be ready to go home by the end of the week.”

Myka’s blinked a few times.  Her eyelids grew heavy.

Forty-nine minutes and eleven seconds.

-oOo-

Pete scanned the hallway.  He didn’t know if she would even show up, but he had to hope.  He needed news on Myka.

Relief flooded his body when he saw Tracy making her way through the crowd.  She was hunched over and her face dull, but Myka couldn’t be too bad off if Tracy had come to school.

He forced his way through the crowd until he reached her.  She ignored him when he called her name, so he stepped in front of her.

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I have to know,” he quickly said.  “Please.  How is she?”

Tracy glanced at the floor and shrugged.

Pete rubbed the back of his neck and took deep breaths.  “Tracy, please.”

“It might be a while before she walks again, they had to do surgery to put pins in her leg, but they say she’d gunna be fine.”

Pete let out a relieved breath.  “Good, that’s…”  He cut off as Tracy threw her arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled after quickly pulling back.  “I’m just…thank you.  She would be… you know… if you hadn’t found her.  So…thanks.”

She rushed through the crowd before he had a chance to respond.

-oOo-

There was one other time in her life where Myka had tried to leave her family.

She had been in sixth grade.  They had just finished the section on abuse in health and the overarching theme – don’t let it happen – had filled her with a boldness she had never experienced before.  She had made the decision to talk to her health teacher.  Every time she had worked up the nerve, however, something had interrupted – someone walked in; the phone rang; the fire alarm went off.

The last day she had tried, she had gone home to find Tracy frantically trying to hide the shards of a vase in the living room.

She had sent Tracy to her room and taken the blame.

That night, when she was holding her bruised arm under in cold water in the bathroom sink, she had decided that there was a reason she hadn’t been able to tell her teacher.

This was her lot in life, her duty.  She had to make sure her father’s anger was never directed at Tracy.

She had lied – hands buried in her hoodie sleeves and face kept as neutral as possible – when her health teacher had asked if there was still something she needed to talk about.

She faced the decision again as she sat between the officer asking what happened and her father’s stern silence.

A rock and a much, much scarier hard place.

Her place in the world.

A place she could never escape from.

She lightly shook her head.

“I don’t remember.”  Her voice grated against her throat.  Tears sprung to her eyes.  “We were driving home, then I woke up here.”

The officer nodded.  “If you remember anything, give me a call.”

Myka nodded, her head protesting the movement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How much do you hate me now?


	20. Chapter 20

Her mother’s footsteps followed her up the stairs.  Every one of them settled in Myka’s brain, the sharp clack of heel against wood.  Her own steps were barely audible as the pain kept her light on her feet.  The tops of her crutches dug into her armpits, her right arm protesting.  Her breathing was hard as she focused on walking, taking one stair at a time.

Her stomach clenched as she walked through the halls.  She had hoped to never return, to never see this place again, but she had made the decision to do so.

She turned the corner.  The only door in the hallway open was hers.  As she stepped towards it, however, she realized that her door wasn’t open, it was gone.  She stopped and stared at the empty door frame.

“Your father doesn’t want you to lock your door and sneak out again,” her mother told her.  “I’ll buy you a curtain tomorrow.”

Myka closed her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows, then stepped forward.  She should have expected something.

She propped her crutches against the wall and sat on the edge of her bed.  Her mom set her bag on the desk then turned to her.  For a moment it looked like she was going to say something but she just bowed her head and walked out.

Myka stared down at the floor for a few moments then turned.  She lifted her casted leg onto the bed and laid back.  She stared at the stars on her ceiling.

Twirling…whirling…swirling…

They started to dance around each other.

Her eyelids grew heavy.  The edges of her vision faded away.  Her only focus was the stars.

They multiplied.  One turning to two, turning to three.

Swirling…whirling…twirling…

They snapped back into place as a loud bang filled the room.  She sat up.  Her body screamed at the sudden movement.  Her instincts screamed when she saw her dad standing in the doorway.  He held a rusted hammer in one hand and a box in the other.

“Sit up,” he grunted as he walked to the foot of her bed.

She lifted herself up and moved so her back was pressed against the headboard.

He climbed onto the bed and knelt in front of the window.  He put the hammer and box onto the window sill then opened the window only to slam it shut.

She flinched and jerked backwards.  Pain shot through her head as it hit the wall.  Her vision went blurry and the edges dimmed.

“This window is clearly a hazard,” he said.  “We can’t have you sneaking off and getting hurt anymore.”

He opened the box and dumped the contents onto the windowsill.  Metal jingled as nails fell to the wood.  The noise raked across her brain before settling behind her ears.

He picked up one of the nails and twisted it between his fingers.  He held it against the wood.

“I have to make sure you don’t put yourself in danger like that again.”

She closed her eyes before he made the first strike.  She gasped as the sound hit her.  It pounded in her head, pressed against the back of her eyes, settled at the base of her skull.

The next strike made the same path, and the next.

The noise bludgeoned against her.  Again and again it hit her until it felt like an eternal oncoming force instead of individual strikes.

She pulled her un-casted leg in, hugging her knee to her chest.  She pressed her forehead into her thigh, unwilling tears soaking her pant leg.  Her brain pounded against her skull.  Her entire body shook.

She didn’t notice he had stopped until his hand rested on the back on her head.  The weight on her skull ignited fires in her brain.  The pressure against her neck screamed.

“There,” he said, his voice barely audible over her pain.  “No more nighttime wanderings.”

She didn’t hear him leave, just the hammer hitting the doorframe.

-oOo-

Splinters poked Myka’s finger as she ran it around one of the nails.  It was buried in the wood as far as possible.  They all were.

She sniffed as she took the window in as a whole.  There was a nail embedded in the wood every few inches.  They were crooked and sloppy and the wood was cracked in a few places.

Overwhelming helplessness settled over her.

Just a week ago she had thought she was going to escape.

Now, she was trapped even more than ever.

She laid down facing the wall, her casted leg stretched out straight while she pulled the other up.  She reached out and grabbed Mr. Bear.  She pressed her face into the top of his head, the fresh wave of tears soaking the soft fabric.

She her awareness faded in and out as her tears slowed.  Each blink was longer than the last, the darkness behind her eyelids lasting longer than the shadows on her wall.

Her awareness snapped back as her bed dipped and shaky fingers brushed through her hair.  They settled against her head, the tips buried in her curls, the thumb rubbing circles at her hairline.  The person shifted slightly and lips pressed to her temple.

“My baby girl.”

“Mom?” Myka croaked.

The thumb stopped moving, then the hand vanished completely.

Myka shifted to lie on her back.  Her mother was hovering over her.  She looked conflicted and ready to bolt.

“Mom, please.”

The confliction turned to fear and pain.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

Myka went numb.  She stared at her mother, then turned back onto her side.

Her mother’s breath caught and for a moment Myka thought she was going to say something.  Instead, she just pressed another kiss to Myka’s temple, lingering for a few moments.

Long enough for her tears to reach Myka’s skin.

-oOo-

Sam took a deep breath and pushed the door open.  Tracy looked up as he walked into the store.  He was relieved to see her behind the counter and not her father like it usually was.

She looked at him with dull eyes.

“You still can’t see her,” she deadpanned.

He clenched his eyes shut and leaned against the shelf next to the door.

“Is she at least better?” he asked.

Tracy shrugged.  “I don’t really see her.  She just stays in her room.”

“When do you think I’ll be able to see her?”

She shrugged again.

He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Can you tell her I stopped by?”

Tracy nodded.  “Okay.”

“Thanks.”  He turned and left the store.  He crossed the street to his car.  He had to get to the park; Pete, Claudia, and Leena were waiting for him there.

They had all decided that he should be the only one to try and see Myka.  They figured he had the best chance of getting any news.  So he drove to Jefferson every day after his exams, went to Bering and Son’s, then met them in the park to tell them what he had found out.

There hadn’t been much to tell so far.

-oOo-

Tracy stared at the curtain.  It moved slightly as the vent across the hall blew air into it.  She slowly reached out and pulled back some of the black fabric, just enough to let her peek into the room.

The lights were off and the window curtains closed.  Myka was sitting on her bed, just staring at the wall.  Her breaths were slow and the only other movement she was making was her thumb rubbing the ear of her old teddy bear.

“If you aren’t careful, the wall might combust.”

Myka blinked slowly then turned her head towards Tracy.  Her eyes were dull and baggy.  She watched Tracy for a few moments, then turned back to the wall.

Tracy took a deep breath and stepped into the room, closing the curtain behind her.  She studied Myka.  She had hardly seen her sister since she had come home a week ago.

She had been too scared to.

The cast on Myka’s leg was large and stark white and went past her knee.  Her shoulder, dislocated, was wrapped.  Practically every scrape and bruise was visible thanks to the running shorts and tank top she was wearing.

That wasn’t the worst part, however.  She had seen Myka hurt before.  She had seen Myka in casts and bandages before.

It was the defeated look on Myka’s face that terrified her.

“How are you feeling?”

Myka shrugged.  “Like I was hit by a car.”

It wasn’t funny like it always was in movies or on TV.  The deathly tone to Myka’s voice ruined any possible humor.  It made Tracy want to cry.

Tracy shifted slightly on her feet.  She rubbed the back of her neck then pulled her hair off of her shoulders.  She stared at the floor.

“You can sit if you want,” Myka said.

Tracy looked up to see Myka watching her.  Myka tilted her head to the bed slightly and moved her leg.  With a jerky nod, Tracy sat.

She stared at her lap for a few moments before looking at Myka.  The cuts on the side of Myka’s face were practically completely healed, only a few scars remaining, and the bruise had faded.

“Sam came by again.”

Myka’s head tilted to the side and her eyebrows furrowed.  “Again?”

Tracy nodded.  “He’s come every day since you came home.”

“Why?”

Tracy swallowed thickly at the confusion in Myka’s voice.

“Because he likes you and he’s worried about you and I think he’s keeping your friends in the loop cause Dad won’t tell them anything.”

“Oh.”

The syllable was emotionless and sat heavy in Tracy’s heart.

She stood and stepped towards the door.  She was eager to leave the room, but couldn’t.  Not yet.

“I don’t like it,” she choked out.  “I…I don’t like it when you’re hurt.”

She turned.  Myka’s eyes were large as she watched her.

“I know I’ve been a major bitch, especially with everything at school, but you’re my big sister and you…you could’ve died and it…it isn’t the first time, but it’s the worst and I just… God, Myka.  The hospital called, then you weren’t in your room, then they wou…wouldn’t tell us how you were doing and…I was so scared you’d…”  She trailed off as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

She was surprised to see tears in Myka’s eyes as well. Myka blinked a few times, then held her arm up.

“C’mere,” she murmured.

Tracy stepped towards her and perched on the edge of the bed again.  Myka wrapped her arms around Tracy, an embrace Tracy gently returned.  She wanted to squeeze Myka against her, to hold her as tightly as she physically could, but the hard cast pressing against her leg and the rough bandage scratching her arm reminded her that she couldn’t.  That she would just hurt Myka more if she did.

Instead, she let Myka hold her close.  She pressed her face into Myka’s neck and let her tears fall.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Myka whispered.  “I am not going to leave you.”

-oOo-

The pen scratching against the paper was the first sound that did not grate against her eardrums and pound in her brain.  In fact, it seemed to lessen the ache that had settled deep in Myka’s mind.

Of course, it was most likely the actual act of putting her thoughts onto paper – escaping from the real world into one of her own fantasy – and not the noise it created that soothed her.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to be writing.  The list of things she shouldn’t do with a concussion the doctor had given her hadn’t explicitly said no  _writing_ , but it had said no reading and no homework, so it was only logical that writing would be out too.

Still, all she was allowed to do was sit and stare at the wall and doing that dragged her mind through dark places as the silence pushed on her brain from all sides.

Writing gave her something to do, something with which to distract her mind, to pull it from the dark pit of her father’s anger and Tracy’s confusion and her mother’s rejection.  It calmed the storm raging over the pit, Sam’s concern and Tracy’s confusion and Pete’s terrified face.

Besides, she had already tried reading and she had been unable to focus on the words.

She thumbed the corner of her notebook.  A week and a half and she had barely written five pages.    She could only focus for maybe an hour at a time, but it was more than when she had first started.  Not much more, granted, but it meant she was getting better.  Slowly but surely

-oOo-

Pete unfolded the paper and quickly scanned through it.

3 Bs, 3 As.  He even got a B on his English exam.

He sighed.  Myka had helped him study for that one.

He handed the report card to his mother and leaned back against the counter.  He didn’t even care about his grades.

Getting his report card meant that school had been out for two weeks, which meant that it had been a month since he had seen Myka.  All he knew was what Sam had been able to find out and what he had gotten from Tracy the few times he had seen her.

“I’m proud of you,” his mom said.

He shook his head.  “Myka helped me.”

“She didn’t take the exams for you.”

“She couldn’t even take her own exams.”

Jane sighed.  “I know.”

He let out a huff of air through his nose and left the kitchen.  He had to get ready to meet Sam at the park.  The previous week Sam had brought the news that Myka should be working at the shop again.

Pete could only hope that Sam had actually seen her.

-oOo-

Sam grinned.

He opened the door, the ringing chimes making Myka look up from whatever she was doing behind the counter.

She stared at him for a few moments, then mouthed his name.  He started walking towards her.

“Hey, Bunny.”

“What are you –“ she paused for a moment as if collecting her thoughts “What are you doing here?”

He tilted his head to the side as he stopped walking and leaned against the counter.  “I came to see you.”

She blinked a few times and her face scrunched in confusion.

“I’ve missed you,” he added.

She ducked her head but he could see the smile.

“How are you?  I mean…you’re better, right?  Enough to work, at least?  Well, obviously enough to work, I just mean…”

She laughed and looked up.  Her smile was genuine but didn’t light up her eyes the way he knew it could.

“I’m better.  I really am,” she told him.

“That’s good.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Can I…?”  He gestured at the counter.

She nodded.

He smiled and walked around the counter.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.  Her fingers twisted in his shirt.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered into his chest.

Neither of them noticed Tracy smiling at them from the aisles.

-oOo-

“I’m going to go make some lunch.”

Myka stared at the book in her hands.  She itched to turn her head and look at her mother, but couldn’t.

“Will you be okay until I get back?”

Myka nodded.  Dull pain rolled through her skull at the movement.  She slid the book into its place on the shelf and picked the next one up.  Her mother let out a breath of air then walked away.

Myka turned her head once she was sure her mother was gone.  She sighed and leaned against the shelf.

Her head hurt and her leg was sore and she had been putting most of her energy into avoiding her mother.  She was glad her mother had left; it was the first time she was alone in the store since she started work again the previous week.

She nearly groaned when the chimes over the front door sounded and the hinges creaked.  The last thing she wanted was a customer to help.

Heels clacked up one of the aisles, then slowed as if the customer was looking through the books.

Myka listened to the footsteps for a few moments then straightened.  She grabbed her crutches from where they leaned against the stacks and limped across the store.  At least her solid cast was gone.  The splint she had gotten at her last appointment was much easier to walk in.

She found the customer, a girl not much older than herself, bent over to scan the titles of a lower shelf.  Her hair rippled as she titled her head and pulled out a book.

“Do you need any help?” Myka asked.

The girl looked up and towards Myka.  Her dark eyes shone as she smiled.

“Thank you, but I’m just browsing.”  A thick accent wrapped around the words.  “I wish to figure out which store has the best collection.”

“This is the only bookstore in town.”

The girl’s head tilted to the side.  “Really?”

Myka nodded.

The girl grinned.  “A prospect both enticing and frightening in all truth.”

Myka shrugged.  “If you do need anything, I’ll be in the back.  Just come find me.”

“I will be sure to.”

Myka nodded.  She turned and had taken a step when the girl spoke again.

“Actually – “

Myka turned back around.  The girl’s hands had settled around her swollen stomach.

“Do you happen to have a parenting section?”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been bogged down at work and by my own mind. I'm hoping the next part will come faster.

Helena looked at the words on the glass.   _Bering and Son’s_ sounded exactly like the name for a bookstore in a town so small it had been missing on half of the maps she had scoured.  She was sure the store was going to be just as quaint as the façade suggested.

It sickened her slightly.  It was terribly clichéd and was most likely owned by an elder couple who would take one look at her and turn their noses.

Still, she had been forced to leave her books behind in her exile and while her e-reader was glorious, she missed the tangibility of actually turning a page and the finality of closing the back cover.

She pushed the door open and rolled her eyes as chimes tinkled over the door.  Her withholdings lessened slightly as the fragrance of ink and paper hit her.  No matter the outwards appearances, it was still a bookstore.

Hand around her stomach, she walked towards a random aisles and started to browse the titles.  An older volume on a lower shelf caught her eye.  The title was partially faded, just enough that she couldn’t make out the words.  She crouched, one hand gripping the shelf, to get a better look.

She tilted her head and pulled the book out.

“Do you need any help?”

Helena looked up at the words.  A girl about her age was watching her from the end of the aisle.  She was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches as her bandaged right leg was lifted slightly.  Her eyes were large and glossy.

“Thank you, but I’m just browsing.  I wish to figure out which store in town has the best collection.”

“This is the only bookstore in town.”

“Really?”  She had thought there must have been at least one more, hidden somewhere.

The girl nodded.  Her curls bounced with the movement and Helena could have sworn a flash of pain crossed her face.

She focused on what the girl had said and grinned.  “A prospect both enticing and frightening in all truth.”

The girl shrugged.  “If you do need anything, I’ll be in the back.  Just come find me.”

“I will be sure to.”

The girl nodded.  She turned and took a step.  Helena was suddenly hit with the desire to keep the girl around, to bring something other than blankness to her face.

“Actually – “

The girl turned back around.  Helena settled her hands on her extended stomach.

“Do you happen to have a parenting section?”

The girl’s eyes flicked down for a moment.  When she looked back up there was none of the judgment Helena usually found.

“This way,” the girl said before walking past Helena.

The section was just an aisle over but Helena watched the girl the entire time they walked there.  She would put her bandaged leg down every few steps, as if testing it, only to pull it up instantly.  Her plaid shirt bunched around her crutches, lifting the bottom hem up just enough for some of her pale skin to become visible.

When the girl stopped, she reached out with one hand and reverently trailed her fingers along the spines of the books on one shelf.

“This is what we have.”

“That’s not much, is it?”

The girl shrugged.  “The only reason we have any is cause my mom insisted.”

“Oh, your parents own this store?”

The girl shrugged again.

“It must be a treat, growing up in a bookstore.”

The girl smiled as she looked down the aisle.  Helena frowned at the obvious pain in the smile.  “Yeah, a treat,” the girl mumbled, then blinked and looked back at Helena.  “Is there anything else you need?”

“Nothing else specific.  I do believe I will browse a bit longer, however.”

The girl nodded.  “Well, find me when you’re ready to check out.”

Helena let her walk away this time.  She had read something about a car crash while she had been investigating this town.  It had said the pedestrian hit was lucky to have survived and that the driver, presumed drunk, had yet to be found.  There had been no picture but the name stuck in her mind; Myka Bering.

Helena had paid no real attention to the article but knew that she would now have trouble getting Myka Bering out of her head.

-oOo-

Pete looked at his watch as he stopped running.  Six minutes.

One mile in six minutes.

He groaned and started a walking lap around the track.  His legs burned and his chest heaved.  His mouth was dry and his throat tight.

He lifted his arms over his head and took deep breaths.

He had two more weeks to decide if he was going to try out for the football team again.  He was pretty sure he would make the team, varsity now that he was a junior, he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

He loved playing.  He loved the sport.  He just wasn’t sure he would be able to play for the school anymore.  Beyond the fact that he didn’t know if he would have time with the program, he had come to realize that he had never actually been as close to the guys as he had thought.

He had grown so much closer to the little ragtag group in less than half a year than he had the other players since they had started playing together in middle school.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he neared the starting line.  He came to work out to keep his mind off of everything for at least part of the day.

He cleared the time on his watch and started to run again as he crossed the line.

-oOo-

Myka bent down to pick up the next book on the pile.

_Catcher in the Rye_

J.D. Salinger

“’Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone’,” she quoted as she stepped to the other side of the aisle and slid the book into place.

She sighed as the chimes rang and she reached for her crutches on the other side.  One more week and she wouldn’t have to use them anymore.  She hoped, at least.  She barely felt pain anymore but the doctor had said that the pain would go before the bone was fully healed so she still had to stay off of her leg.

“I must say, I am quite glad to find you working right now.”

“Helena,” Myka gasped as she noticed the girl from the previous week leaning against the counter.

The girl tilted her head, her hair cascading down her shoulder.  “I don’t believe I told you my name during our previous encounter.”

Myka blushed.  “You paid with your card and I have a good memory.”

Helena nodded.  “Well then, I don’t feel quite so bad for already knowing your name.”

“How do you know my name?”

Helena’s lips quirked slightly.  “An article I read online about…”

“The crash.”

“Precisely.”

Myka ducked her head for a moment.  It figured that even the new girl from another country would know.

“Are you looking for anything specific?” she asked.

“Yes, actually.  When I said that I needed nothing else the other day, I lied.”

“You lied?”

“Yes.  As I told you, I only recently moved here, practically immediately after my school term ended, in fact.  Since then I have found myself dreadfully starved for companionship.”

“Companionship?”  Myka winced after the word slipped out.  She seemed incapable of coming up with her own thoughts.

“I have yet to make a single friend in this town.”

“And you think I’ll be able to help?”

“Where better to find a friend than the bookstore?”

Myka inclined her head and her brow furrowed.  Did she mean she wanted Myka to be her friend?

“I’m probably not the type of person you want to be friends with.”

“Oh, pish posh.  Perhaps you should let me decide that.”

Myka stared at her for a moment.  Helena raised an eyebrow.

“What?” she asked.

“Pish posh?”

“Too obviously British?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“Drat.”

“Are you trying to sound more British?”

“It was an experiment, to see how long it would take for someone to question it.”

“How long did it take?”

“Longer than expected, honestly.”

Myka shrugged.  “I’m probably one of the few in this town who would.”

“Still better than none, and perhaps the fact that you noticed makes you the type of person I should be friends with.”

Myka quirked up an eyebrow.  “I don’t exactly go out much, so I wouldn’t be any fun.”

“I don’t go out much either.  I find that the disgusted looks I receive put quite a damper on my mood.”

“Small town America, ready equipped with small minds.”

Helena laughed.  “Small town anywhere, I believe.”

“Is that why you moved here?  If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind at all, and yes.  My parents thought it best if I carried out the remainder of the pregnancy away from the prying eyes of our town elite.”  The last word came out as a sneer, Helena’s lips curling up.

“So they just sent you here?”  Myka questioned.  “What did they just open a map and point at random?”

“I’m not sure why they chose this town in particular, perhaps the fact that it is so secluded.”

“Did they come with you?”

“Oh, heavens no.  Neither hell nor high water could get them to abandon their precious social standing to accompany their knocked up daughter to the colonies.”

“That’s horrible.”

Helena shrugged but Myka could see that the nonchalance was forced.  Her heart ached as it became obvious to her how lonely Helena actually was.  She knew loneliness and knew how it could gnaw at a person.

“Maybe, occasionally, you could help me out around here,” Myka slowly suggested.  “Only when I’m the only one here, though.  My dad doesn’t like people helping if they don’t work here.”

“Have you tried before?”

“My sister has.”

Helena smiled.  “Then just let me know when it is safe to come by.”

-oOo-

“No, not like that,” Todd said.  He tried to reach around her to the keyboard but Claudia slapped his hands away.

“I’ve got this,” she insisted.

“You’re going to…”

He cut off as she let out a laugh and the computer screen did what they wanted.

“How did you do that?”

She smirked at him.  “Pure skill.”

“C’mon, let me know.”

She grinned then shrugged.  “I’m actually not sure,” she admitted.  “I just did it and knew it was right.”

“That really is pure skill.  I am humbled to be in your presence.”

She laughed and shoved him slightly.

She glanced at the clock and stood up.

“I gotta go,” she said.

“So soon?”

“Sorry.”  She grabbed her bag and slid past him.  “I have to be somewhere.”

Todd reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.  He pulled her back towards him and pressed a kiss to her lips.  She couldn’t suppress the thoughts that it felt wrong but was able to ignore them.

“Same time Friday?” he said.

“Of course.”  She smiled at him and headed towards the front door.  Her smile faded slightly once she was on the street.

She started towards the park.  Sam was going to see Myka that day and she wanted to get to the park before he did.

She kicked a soda bottle on the sidewalk.  She hated that this was the only way she heard anything about her friend.  Sam was only able to make the drive to Jefferson once or twice a week and the days between were nerve wracking.

She stopped as an idea hit her then started walking again, faster than she had been.

-oOo-

Leena ran her fingers along the spines of the books as she read the titles.  She wasn’t truly interested in the topic – early monarchs of France – but the first time she had come to the bookstore to see Myka, her father had been there.  Leena had claimed to have a summer assignment for European history – a class she had taken her sophomore year but the first to come to her mind – in order to have an excuse whenever she went to the store.

“Philippe Ier l'Amoureux?”

Leena turned at the voice and grinned.

“Myka.”

She wrapped her arms around the girl and was surprised when she pulled back and had to look up at Myka.

“You’ve gotten taller,” she said.

“Nearly two months and that’s what you have to say?” Myka questioned.

Leena shrugged.  “I’m not really sure what else to say.”

Myka grimaced slightly.  “So, how are you?”

“I’m good.  We’re all worried about you, though.”

“I’m better.”

“I would hope so after two months.”

An awkward silence fell over them.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Leena asked.

Myka nodded.  “You can tell them to stop worrying.  Pete especially.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Myka smiled and laughed lightly.  “I know.”

“He really wants to come see you, but…”

“My dad hates him.  I know.”

“Yeah, and Claudia’s too worried that she’ll let it slip that she knows Pete.”

“And you?”

“Your dad thinks I’m here researching for a summer assignment.”

“About dead Frenchmen?”  Myka tilted her head towards the books on the shelf.

Leena shrugged and smiled.

“Oh,” Myka exclaimed.  “I’ll be right back.  I have to go get something.”

“Okay.”

Leena watched Myka rush away.  She was favoring her left leg, not much but just enough to be noticed, and she kept her hand on the shelves next to her.

Leena stood still for a few moments after Myka left her view, then she turned back to the books and pulled one out.  She flipped through it until she came upon a heading that looked somewhat interesting and skimmed the passage.

“Learning anything?”

She looked up at the deep voice.  Myka’s father was standing at the end of the aisle, watching her.

“Yes, sir,” she replied.  “I’m still figuring out if this book is what I need, though.”

He walked over and pulled another book off of the shelf.  “Try this one, Brown can get a little dry.”

“Thank you,” she said.

He nodded and walked off.

Leena flipped through the new book.  The font was smaller, but there were more pictures and graphs.

“I can’t stand around and talk,” Myka said from behind her.

Leena turned in surprise.  She was struck by how quiet both Myka and her father moved around but kept the thought to herself.  Myka pressed a paper bag into her hands.  Worry was creeping into her features and her voice was low.

“But can you give this to Pete.  It’s for his birthday next week.”

“Of course.”

“Tell him I would have gotten something better, but I’m kinda limited on selection.”

“He’ll love it no matter what.”

Myka nodded slightly and ran a hand through her hair.  “I should get to work.  I’ll see you?”

“I’ll be back, don’t worry.”

-oOo-

Helena watched Myka as she walked ahead of her.  She was finally free of crutches and bandages but she was still limping.  It wasn’t much and Helena only noticed because she found it hard to keep her eyes off of Myka.

She also noticed that Myka’s face wasn’t as gaunt and her hair was less limp, the curls bouncing with each step.  Her eyes were clearer and brighter.

Myka stopped and scanned a shelf before slipping the book she was holding into place.  Helena looked at the next book in her arms.

“ _Lady Windermere’s Fan_ by Oscar Wilde,” she read.

Myka slid the book off of the pile and turned it in her hands.

“’We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’”

Helena grinned.  Myka had been able to quote fourteen of the twenty-two books they had shelved.  Five of the other eight were on her ‘to-read’ list and the other three had never held any interest for her.

“It’s two aisles over, on the bottom shelf,” Myka said as she started to walk in that direction.

The both stopped with the chimes over the door rang.

“’Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.’” Helena recited the words easily.

Myka laughed.  She stepped around Helena, towards the front.

Helena set the books on the shelf before following.  She heard Myka say something just before turning to see Myka hugging a tall boy.

They pulled apart after a moment and the boy pressed a kiss to Myka’s forehead.

“Look at you, Bunny,” he said.  “Finally free of the crutches.”

Myka inclined her head slightly and Helena imagines she must have been smiling.  The boy pushed some of Myka’s hair back, leaving his hand buried in her curls.

“How’s your head?” he asked.

“Okay.  No pain right now, so that’s good.”

“It is.”  He pressed another kiss to her temple and dropped his hand.

Myka turned to Helena.  She gestured for her to step forward.

“Helena, this is Sam, my boyfriend.  Sam, this is my friend, Helena.”

Sam looked Helena up and down, a gesture unnoticed by Myka.  Helena bristled slightly as the look of distaste when he noticed her baby bump.  When he looked up again, however, his smile was genuine.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.

“Likewise.”

Sam turned to Myka.  “I have something I need to tell you,” he said.

“Oh, umm,” Myka said as she glanced at Helena with an eyebrow raised.

Helena inclined her head.  “I shall take that as my invitation to leave.”

“I’m working alone again on Wednesday, starting at ten.”

“I’ll try to stop by.”

Myka grinned and nodded.

Helena left the store, her heart aching slightly.  She should have figured that Myka would be attached.  The girl was amazing and there was no way she was the only one who had noticed.

It didn’t make her heart ache any less or the jealousy dampen.

-oOo-

Myka watched Helena leave then turned back to Sam.  He grabbed his hand and gently played with her fingers.  A bad feeling settled over her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He sighed.  “I just found out,” he started.  “Yesterday, my mom told me.”

“What?”

“We’re moving.  To Denver.”

Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach.  “Colorado?”

“Not yet, but soon.  A few months at the most.”

Myka stared at their hands and intertwined their fingers.  “What does that mean?  For us?”

“I like you, Myka.  I really, really like you.  So I…I want to see if we can work something out.”

She looked at him and smiled.  “I’d like that.”

He raised their hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.  “Good.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faster update, more HG, what else could you want?

“ _The Giver_ by Lois Lowry,” Helena read.

“’Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too.  But perhaps it was only an echo.’”

Helena pursed her lips slightly as she handed the book over.  Myka had seemed distracted the entire day.  She participated in their usual game but her voice seemed distant and her mind elsewhere.

They silently moved through the store until they reached the shelf the book belonged on.  Helena looked down at the next one.  She smiled slightly.

“ _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_.”

“’Just because a wizard  _doesn’t_ use Dark Magic doesn’t mean he  _can’t_ …’”

Helena stared at Myka.

“What?” Myka questioned.

“An entire book of memorable quotes and you chose one from a scene that wasn’t even correct in the film?”

Myka shrugged.  “It’s a good quote.”

Helena hummed and set the pile of books on the shelf.

“Is everything alright, Myka?” she asked.

“Hmmm?  Yeah, course it is.  Why?”

“You just seem a tad…off today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright.  I just want to make sure that you are okay.  If I’m overstepping any boundaries, just let me know.”

Myka sighed.  “Sam’s leaving.  He and his mom are moving to Colorado.”

Helena pushed her excitement aside at the Myka’s obvious distress.  She had no way of knowing if she even had a chance, if Myka would ever be interested in her.

“Do you know when?” she asked.

Myka shook her head.  “Soon, I guess.  We’re going to try long distance but who knows how well that’ll work.”

“Distance can be hard.”

“I guess you know a bit about that.  England’s a lot farther than Denver.”

“Distance is still distance.”

“Is that what you’re doing with the father?”  Myka flinched slightly as if she just realized what she had said.  “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

“It’s quite alright, and no, I’m not with the father.  Never was.  He was nothing more than a drunken tryst that would have been long forgotten if it weren’t for the child.”

Myka glanced at her baby bump then looked away as if hiding that she had looked at all.

“You can ask questions,” Helena said with a chuckle as she wrapped her hands around her child.  “It’s not as if I am trying to hide it.”

Myka blushed slightly.  “Sorry, I just have never really known anyone who was pregnant, especially not...”  She trailed and her blush darkened.

“Especially not someone our age.  I understand.”

Myka inclined her head slightly.  “So…”

Helena’s mouth quirked at the reluctance Myka continued to cling to.  She went with the answers to the questions she got most often.

“I am about five months along and I have no intention on learning the sex until after the birth.”

Myka’s next questions came easier.

“Do you have a due date yet?”

“December 3rd.”

“Names?”

“Christopher if it’s a boy, Christina if a girl.”

Myka leaned against the shelf and raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.  “Why aren’t you going to find out the sex?”

Helena gave a shrew smile.  “It is the one thing my mother cares about regarding my pregnancy.  I am taking some pleasure in denying her.”

Myka laughed lightly.

Helena’s heart fluttered at the sound.  She had never seen Myka so relaxed, so comfortable.  Her heart dropped a moment later when a man’s voice sounded through the shop and panic covered Myka’s face.

“Myka,” the voice called.

“My dad,” Myka whispered.

Helena nodded.  She clearly remembered Myka’s reservations about her father but was starting to fear that it went deeper than she had originally thought.

“I’m over here,” Myka called to her father.

Thinking quickly, Helena pulled a book off of the shelf.   _The Giver,_ the book Myka had just put away.

“Could you perhaps tell me what other works Lois Lowry has completed?” she asked as Warren Bering turned into the aisle.

Myka gave her a grateful look as she took the book.  “If you liked this one, there’s  _Gathering Blue, Messenger,_ and  _Son,_ which are set in the same universe.  If you’re looking for something different, though, she also wrote  _Number the Stars_ and  _Gossamer_ as well as the  _Gooney Bird_ books.”

“Thank you.”  She turned to the shelf to look for the titles Myka had mentioned.  She pulled out the first one she saw and started to flip through it to appear busy.

“Myka,” her father said.  Myka turned, shoulders slouched and head down slightly.  “Why isn’t the new order sorted yet?”

“I’ve been resorting the pulled books,” Myka replied.  Helena hated how small she sounded, how small she looked in front of her father.

“That should have been done this morning, during the first shift.”

Helena fought to keep her face neutral.  Myka hadn’t worked the first shift.  If she correctly remembered what Myka had said earlier, it had been her sister and there had been too many pulled books to finish in one shift.

Myka nodded.  “Yes, sir.”

He glanced at Helena, a disgusted look crossing his face before he turned and left.

Helena set the book down and watched Myka for a moment.  When Myka didn’t move, Helena stepped towards her and shifted around her slightly in an attempt to look at her face.  Helena’s view, however, was blocked by a curtain of curls.

“Myka?”  She practically whispered the word.

“Sorry,” Myka mumbled.

“Whatever for?”

Myka shrugged then turned her head to Helena.  “You should probably head out now.  He could come in at any point and’ll ask why you’re still here.”

“He shouldn’t treat you like that,” Helena softly said.  “He has no right.”

Myka shrugged.  “He’s my father.  He has every right.”

“You can’t truly believe that.”  She laid a hand on Myka’s upper arm only to jerk it back when Myka flinched.  “Myka…”

“Please, Helena,” Myka pressed.  “I’ll be alone here again on Saturday, between one and four.”

Helena wanted to push but the expression – or lack thereof – on Myka’s face made her relent.  “I’ll be here.”

Myka nodded.  Helena desperately wanted to press a kiss to Myka’s cheek, to pull her into a hug, to do anything to make her feel better but wasn’t sure how any action would be received.

Instead, she softly bade Myka good-bye and left the store.

-oOo-

Jane watched the group from the living room entrance by the stairs.  It was such a different scene from last year, when Pete had invited the football and wrestling teams for a pool party.

Now, instead of a bunch of shirtless teenaged boys running amok and making a mess, there were only five teenagers watching a movie and talking quietly.  There were still only partially dressed, as they had swum earlier, but Pete was the only one without a towel wrapped around him.

Jane’s gaze lingered on the space between Pete and Sam on the couch.  She doubted they even realized that they had left a spot for Myka but it was obvious that was what they had done.

Leena sat on the floor next to Pete’s legs.  Claudia’s head was on Leena’s shoulder and Leena’s fingers absently moved through her red hair.  Claudia’s eyes were closed and her breathing steady.

Steve, the newest addition to the group mostly thanks to his new role as Claudia’s foster brother, was passed out in the arm chair.

Jane looked back at Pete to find him watching her.

“Don’t stay up too late,” she quietly said.

“We won’t,” he replied.

She nodded and headed up the stairs.

-oOo-

Pete slowly made his way to his room, his presents piled in his arms.

Leena had just left to drive Claudia and Steve home, leaving Pete alone in the house.  His body ached from sleeping on the couch and he hoped that a shower would help sooth his muscles before he went to see Sam, who was hoping to catch Myka at the shop.

Pete set the pile on his desk.  It was smaller than it had been in previous years.  He knew, however, that each present meant more, had been thought out more, than any of the ones given to him by his teammates.

He picked up the only book in the pile.  He wasn’t surprised that Myka had given him a book, but the subject wasn’t what he would have expected.   _Coach for a Nation:  The Life and Times of Knute Rockne_.

It was a thick book, larger than any he had read outside of school but he opened the cover anyway.  He quirked an eyebrow as a neatly folded piece of paper fell out.  He picked it up and opened it to find Myka’s handwriting.

_Pete,_

_Sorry I couldn’t make it to your party, my parents are still worried about me making my concussion worse.  I found the book stuffed on one of our back shelves.  I know you aren’t much of a reader, but I don’t have any choices right now, so I hope you like it._

_Happy birthday,_

_Myka_

_Ps. Oh, nearly forgot, as I flipped through the book, I found some cards marking some of the pages.  I left them there in case you were interested._

Pete put the paper down and thumbed through the book.  The pages fell open part of the way in.  He picked up the card and looked at it with wide eyes.  A Pudge Heffelfinger rookie card, in perfect condition.

He smiled and started to flip through the rest of the pages.

-oOo-

Steve watched Claudia for a few moments as he hovered in the living room doorway.  She was hunched over a notepad, the pencil in her hand moving in seemingly endless patterns.

He stepped into the room and sat next to her.  He watched the pencil move as it created what looked like a circuit board.  He had seen her working a few times before but had never actually looked at what she was drawing.

“That’s good,” he said.

Claudia glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.  “Thanks.”

“Are you into all of this stuff?  Computers and all?”

She nodded.  “Todd taught me.”

“Todd?”  She had never mentioned a friend named Todd.

“My boyfriend.”

She had definitely never mentioned a boyfriend.

“Boyfriend?  So, what’s going on between you and Leena?”

Claudia’s head shot up at the question.  Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.  “Nothing.  What do you mean?” she quickly said.

“I dunno, I just thought…”

She shook her head.  “No, there’s nothing between me and Leena.”

He hitched up an eyebrow, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as him.  “I don’t believe that.”

“We’re just friends,” she insisted.

He tilted his head slightly as it became clear to him.  “But you want more.”

“I do not.”

“You’re lying.”

“No.  I’m not.  How would you know anyways?”  Her voice took on a defensive edge.

He shrugged.  He didn’t know how to describe the lie detector thing.  “I just do.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” she practically growled.  “I’m not… _gay_.”

He flinched slightly at the last word, at the way she spat it out, at the fear that had crept into her voice.

“Never said you were,” he brushed it off.

“You implied it.”

“No, I just said that you like Leena.”

“Which I don’t.”

“You’re lying,” he said before he could stop himself.

She tensed again then stood, her chair falling at the force she had pushed it back with.  She grabbed her notebook and pencil.

“I think I know myself a little better than you do,” she said as she left the room.

Steve sighed and slumped back into his seat.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, yay! Let's try to all forget that episode, kay?

Myka raised an eyebrow as she turned the corner.  Helena was leaning against the counter and reading a paper.  Her thumb was absently flicking the corner of the paper and part of her lip was pulled between her teeth.

“What’s that?” she asked.

Helena looked up.  Her mouth stretched into a smile when she saw Myka.

“Hello,” she said before turning the paper enough for Myka to see the ink printed on it.  “This is my schedule for the school year.”

Myka nodded.  She had gotten her own schedule in the mail the day before.  It wasn’t what she had hoped it would be, but she had expected as much after the accident.

She stepped towards Helena and held her hand out.  “Can I see it?”

Helena nodded and handed over the paper.  Myka quickly scanned through the schedule.

While she doubted they would have any classes together, being in different grades, she figured she could give Helena some advice with the teachers.  She was proven wrong, however, when she noticed one class.

“How are you in the same English class as me?  You said you’re a senior.”

“We’re in the same English class?” Helena asked as she snatched the schedule back from Myka.

“Yeah, AP American with Belk.”

“Brilliant,” Helena said.  She grinned at Myka as she handed the paper over again.  “Do we have any other classes together?”

Myka shook her head.  “That’s it.”

“Darn.  Well, at least we will see each other then.  Perhaps you can even help me with the class.”

Myka scoffed.  “You think you’ll need help in a lit class?”

“I often find American literature rather dry.  I may have trouble staying focused in class.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps you will have to carry me out of each class after I succumb to my boredom.”

Myka laughed lightly.  “I’ll have to start working out then.”

A faux insulted look crossed Helena’s face.  “I do not weigh that much.”

“If you say so.”

Helena laughed.

-oOo-

Claudia didn’t look up as the chair next to her moved and someone sat in it.  She stared into her cereal, raising a spoonful to her mouth every now and then.

There was only one other person in the house and she had no desire to talk to Steve.  She had successfully avoided him for the past two weeks but had apparently run out of luck.

He shifted slightly in his seat.

“I’m gay.”

The words froze her hand half way to her mouth, then she slowly lowered the spoon into the bowl.

“What?” she spluttered.

She turned to him.  He was staring at his hands as they were clasped in his lap.

“I’ve never told anyone,” he quietly said.  “I’ve known for years and you’re the first person I’ve ever told.”

Claudia turned back to her cereal, processing.  “Why?” she finally asked.  “Why me?”

Steve took a deep breath.  “Because I think you need to know.”

She looked up at him.  He was watching her with wide eyes.

“I don’t care who you like, what their gender is, or anything, just don’t hate yourself for what you feel.”

Claudia swallowed thickly.  “I…I can’t.  I – I can’t be gay,” she choked out.

“Why not?”

“I don’t have anything against gay people, I just…”

“Something happened.”

They stared at each for a few moments before Claudia nodded.

“Her name was Duane.  She was my foster sister a few homes ago.  I fell hard and she used me and her dad found out and…” she trailed off.

Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.  She tensed for a moment, then relaxed and pressed into him.

“I can’t go through that again,” she whispered into his shirt.

“You don’t have to,” he replied.  “We’ll figure this out together.”

-oOo-

“I have something for you.”

Myka spun around.  “Sam!  I didn’t know you were coming today,” she said as she walked over to hug him.

He shrugged and gave a crooked smile.  “Decided to surprise you.”

She ducked her head slightly, catching sight of the paper in his hands as she did so.

“Pete, Claudia, and Leena’s schedules,” he told her, handing over the paper.  “They want to know if you have any classes together.”

Myka nodded as she scanned the paper.

“I have lunch with Pete and Leena, and math with Claudia, but that’s it,” she said.

Sam took the paper down and wrote something on it.  “They’ll be happy to hear that.”

Myka nodded and hugged herself.  “Has your mom told you anything new?” she slowly asked.  “About the move?”

He shook his head.  “Just that I will be starting school here, which isn’t really news seeing how school starts in three days and we have barely started packing yet.”

“Makes sense.”  She lowered her head and stared at the floor.

“Hey,” he said as he hooked his fingers under her chin and lifted her head back up.  “We’ve got time.”  He pressed his lips to her forehead.

“But we still don’t know how much.”

“Aren’t you just a bundle of joy?”

She shrugged.

“What if we manage to convince your old man to let me take you out later this week?  We could go to the movies or something.”

“I don’t think he’d go for it.”

“We won’t know until we try.”

“I don’t know, Sam.”

“What if I ask him?”

“Ask who what?”

Myka’s throat clenched at her father’s voice.  Sam, however, smiled and turned to him.

“I wanted to know if you would let Myka go for one night this week.  I’m going to be moving soon and want to spend as much time with her as possible.”

Warren watched him for a few moments.  “Where would you take her?”

Sam’s smile grew.  “I was thinking to a movie then the diner either Friday or Saturday.”

Warren seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded.  “I think that would be alright.”

Myka didn’t hear Sam’s response as her mind raced.  He was going to let her go.  She just wasn’t sure how good that was.

Her father walked away a few moments later and she turned to Sam, who was grinning.

“See, wasn’t so hard,” he told her.

She forced a smile.  “You’re right, I was just overreacting.”

“I can’t really stay,” he continued.  “So, Friday at five?”

“I’ll be here.”

He leaned forward and gently kissed her, pulling back before she could react.  “Until then,” he said as he walked away.

She nodded and ignored the way her lips burned as she turned back to her work.

-oOo-

Artie watched the women across from him talk, their idle chatter grating on his nerves.  They could be discussing what they had gathered to discuss but no, the two women had to swap hamburger recipes.

He absently looked around the diner and sighed.  A diner of all places was where they had to meet.  Sure, Theadora worked at the diner – owned it, actually – but did they have to meet there?

He glanced at Mrs. Fredric, who must have sensed his irritation because she closed her notebook and cleared her throat.

“Ladies, Arthur,” she started.  “I am sure you remember why we are here today.”

“My son,” Jane replied.

“And the rest of the students,” Mrs. Fredric said with a nod.  She turned to Artie.  “Have you finished their lesson plans for the year?”

“I just need to test them when they start again to see if any review is necessary.”

“Including Ms. Wells?” Theadora asked.

“Especially Ms. Wells.  MacPherson let me know what she’s covered but knowing nothing about her, I need to see how she will fit in.”

“And Myka?” Jane asked.

“The plan for her is loose.  I’m sure she will do fine with the book learning, but the physical aspects really depend on how she tests.”

“I am afraid that Ms. Bering will not be returning to the program for the time being,” Mrs. Fredric cut in.

They all stared at her, then started talking at once.

“What?” Artie spluttered.  “Why?  She’s the best in the group.”

“You’re not kicking her out, are you?” Theadora asked.

“It’s not her fault she was hit by a car,” Jane retorted.

Mrs. Fredric raised a hand, stopping them.

“It is not my decision,” she said.  “Her father contacted us about it.”

“He can’t pull her out,” Artie said.  “Only she can choose to leave.”

“I am well aware of that, but I believe that it is in Ms. Bering’s best interests to do as he wishes for the time being.”

“What?” Jane exclaimed.  “You can’t be thinking of giving into him.”

“Jane…”

“No.  The worst thing we can do for her is leave her there, abandon her.  We should be trying to get her out, not leaving her trapped.”

“And if we try to get her out, only to fail and have her father regain custody?”

Jane sat back, silent.

“We are working on a file,” Mrs. Fredric continued, “that, when the time comes, will ensure that she never goes back.  Until then, however, we do what we can to keep her safe.  If that includes temporarily removing her from the program, so be it.”

Jane nodded in acceptance.

“If it helps,” Artie cut in, “I hacked into the school scheduling system and made sure she has classes with the others.”

“I do believe that will help,” Mrs. Fredric said with a nod.  “Now, what are your lesson plans for the others?”

-oOo-

Myka looked up from her notebook as her curtain moved.  Her breath caught as she looked at her father standing in the doorway.

“You are to come home directly after school tomorrow,” he told her.

She blinked a few times.  “Wha…what about –“

“You will no longer be participating in that program.”

“But I –“

“It’s final.  I’ve already contacted them.  Their teachings and the other students were obviously not a good influence on you.”

Myka stared at him for a few moments.  She had been excited to go back, to be away from the house that much longer.  She knew that there was no arguing, however.

“Right home,” he growled.

“Yes, sir.”

She looked back at her writing when he left.  Her pen had been against the paper, letting ink bleed out.  She sighed.  She lifted it away and spun the pen in her hand so she could tap the other end against her notebook.

She should have seen it coming.  He had never been happy with her being in the program and with everything that had happened since, she was partially surprised it had taken him this long.

-oOo-

Jeannie tensed as her husband walked into the kitchen.  She picked up the next dirty plate from dinner and rinsed it off before putting it in the dishwasher.  She listened to him open the cabinet over the fridge, most likely grabbing his scotch.

“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh on her?” she slowly asked after a few moments.

The sound of glass thudding on the counter made her flinch.

“No,” Warren said, his voice painfully measured.  “I don’t.”

“She’s just a girl.  She is going to make mistakes, stupid decisions.”

“She’s old enough.”

She turned to face him.  “Old enough for what?  She’s fifteen, she can’t even drive yet.”

“As her father I get to choose what she is old enough for.”

“I can go get a paternity test and take that right from you.”

-oOo-

The doorknob bit into Tracy’s palm as her grip tightened.

She had heard wrong.  She must have heard wrong.  There was no way Myka had a different father, so there was no way she had heard right.

“Sixteen years and  _now_ you think that’s a good idea,” her father growled.  “You couldn’t have done it when our parents made us get married?”

“I was scared, Warren.  I didn’t want to be a single mother.”

“And you do now?”

“No, but I can’t ignore that you’re hurting her.  Not anymore.”

Tracy covered her mouth and stared at the door with wide eyes.

“I’ve never hurt her.”

Her mother let out a barking laugh.  “Do you think I’m stupid?  Do you  _really_ think that I don’t know you’re the reason she was out that night?  That every time she’s gotten hurt, it’s been your fault?”

Her next works cut off with a gasp and a thud.

Tracy let go of the doorknob and stumbled back to her room.  She stood in front of her door for a moment, just staring at Myka’s room, then pushed into her room.

She didn’t know how to process what she had just heard.

Myka had a different father.

She was being hurt by the man she believed to be her father.

Tracy sat on her bed and stared at the wall she shared with Myka’s room.

She couldn’t plead ignorance anymore.  She couldn’t pretend that nothing was going on.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, because multiple people seem to still be clinging to the idea, I'm gunna dispel it here. Warren did not hit Myka with the car. I know it's a logical thought, but it isn't what happened. He had no idea she had even left the house when it happened. I don't know if I will ever actually reveal who hit her. In my mind, it's currently a drunk driver who got away, and, honestly, that's better than when I originally planned it and had Pete hit her while driving home from a party. So, that's that.

Helena stared at her reflection.  She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

She had just under an hour before the school day started and it had taken about thirty minutes to drive there when she had registered for her classes.

She grabbed her bag and left her room, not quite ready to face the day, but resigned to admit that she had no choice.

She walked down the hall and into the kitchen where her house mate was eating yogurt while leaning against the counter.

“Good morning, Leena,” Helena said as she plucked an apple from the bowl on the counter.

She inspected the fruit as Leena looked up and smiled.

“I was about to go make sure you actually woke up,” Leena said.

Helena grimaced slightly.  “Child of mine decided to sit on my bladder through the night.  I have been awake since five-o-four.”

Leena gave her a sympathetic smile.  “That sucks.”

Helena nodded as she swallowed a bite of apple.  “It does.  Still, it gave me ample time to prepare for the day.”

“You don’t want to go.”

Helena laughed at Leena’s matter-of-fact tone.  “Not in the slightest.”

“It’ll be fine,” Leena told her.  “We have the program after school to look forward to.”

“I suppose.”

“And you have English with that girl you like.”

Helena ducked her head and took another bite of her apple to hide the slight blush.  She hadn’t intended for Leena to discover her feelings towards Myka, but the girl just seemed to know.

Leena just smiled at her as she put her bowl into the sink.  “C’mon, we gotta get going.”

“If you insist,” Helena said after throwing the apple core away.

Leena handed Helena a bag lunch, then laughed at the way Helena looked at it.

“Come on,” she said, walking towards the door.

-oOo-

Myka kept her head down as she maneuvered through the halls.  There was no muttering, no poorly hidden discussions about her, but she knew that people were looking at her.  More than a few conversations faltered slightly as she passed.  More than a few heads turned.

She wasn’t as painfully aware of it all as she was the last time, however.  She had other things on her mind.

She could already feel a headache settling and she couldn’t get medicine from the nurse until lunch.  Tracy had acted weird all morning, barely talking and actively avoiding looking at anyone.  She hadn’t seen her mother the entire morning and her father had driven her and Tracy to school.  It had all thrown her off balance.

She sighed.

She just had to get through AP US history, then she had English with Helena.

“Myka!”

She looked up and smiled as Pete cut through the crowd to reach her.  He pulled her into a hug and spun around slightly.

“Put me down,” she said with a smirk.  Her head pulsed slightly but he didn’t need to know that.

He did as she asked and she found herself looking him straight in the eyes as they moved to the side of the hallway.

“Jeez, when did you get so tall?” he asked.

She shrugged, but was slightly surprised herself.  She hadn’t realized how much taller she had gotten the few times she had seen Leena – it was one thing suddenly being quite a bit taller than Leena, but an entirely different thing suddenly being as tall as Pete.

“Sometime since you last saw me in June,” she mused.

He grimaced slightly.  “You doing okay?”

She nodded.  “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, and I have to get to class.”

“What?  We still have…”  He cut off as the five minute bell rang.  “Yeah, guess we should go.”

“I’ll see you at lunch, Pete,” she told him.

He nodded and pulled her into another hug.  “It’s good to see you,” he said.

“It’s good to see you too,” she said after pulling away.

-oOo-

Helena smiled as she walked into her English class.  Her gaze instantly landed on Myka, who was sitting at the closest desk cluster.

She slid into the desk next to Myka’s and grinned when the girl looked up.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hey,” Myka replied.

“How has your day been?”

Myka shrugged.  “Could’ve been worse.  You?”

“Same,” she said with a sigh.  She may have had to put up with stares, disgusted looks, and ill hidden comments – from the student body as well as the teachers – but seeing Myka had instantly made her feel better.  “How was your first class?”

Myka shrugged.  “Mr. Browen’s a good teacher, but the other students seem…rowdy.”

“That sounds eerily similar to my science class,” Helena lamented, over dramatizing her sigh.

Myka laughed.  “That’s probably gunna be all of our classes.”

“And what a shame that is.”

The bell rang, cutting off their conversation.  They looked up to see the other two desks in their group taken.

Helena noticed the slight grimace on Myka’s face when the teacher announced that they ‘hopefully like the people you’re sitting with because they will be your work group for the semester.’

She inspected the other people as Ms. Belk began to talk.  They seemed to fit the stereotypes of American high school students.

The girl wore more make-up than necessary, a perfectly calculated outfit and an incredibly bored look.  The boy was clearly an athlete – a jock – with his letterman jacket on despite the heat outside, and the jug of Gatorade that sat on the floor next to him.

She glanced at Myka, who was listening to the teacher intently.  At least one person in her group was unlikely to drive her insane.

Well, a bad type of insane, at least.  She truly believed that Myka would always have the ability to risk her sanity.

-oOo-

“Have you heard about the new girl?” Pete said between bites of pizza, his second slice.  “The British preggo one?”

Leena wasn’t surprised that rumors about Helena had already spread.  The girl was an enigma the other students would never be able to figure out.  New.  Pregnant.  British.  She was a bit surprised that it had taken Pete until the end of lunch to bring it up.

“You mean Helena?” Myka asked.

Now, that actually surprised Leena.

“You know her?” Pete asked in awe.

Myka shrugged as she pushed her green beans around with her spork.  “She’s in my English class and came into the shop a few times over the summer.”

That really surprised Leena.  Myka was the girl Helena had met over the summer.  The girl who had managed to draw Helena out of the house.  The girl Helena had a major crush on.

Leena smiled as she stuffed her trash into the paper bag she had brought her lunch in.  She had a good feeling about Myka and Helena.

The bell rang.  Chair legs scrapped against the floor as everyone rushed to leave.

Pete pulled Myka into a hug.

“I’ll see you after school, right?”

Myka shifted slightly.  She rubbed one leg with the opposite foot.  “No, you, uh, you won’t.”

Pete stared at her.  “What?”

“I’m not in the program anymore.”

“What?”

She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged.  “I need to focus on school and after the crash…it’s just too much for me right now.”

Pete didn’t believe her, it was all over his face, but he just nodded and pulled her into another hug.

“If you need anything, you can always ask me,” he told her.

“I know,” she replied.

-oOo-

Claudia practically squealed when she saw Myka walking towards the classroom.  She bounced to her friend and threw her arms around her.

“Hey, Claudia,” Myka said with a laugh.

Claudia stepped back and looked up at Myka.  “You got tall.”

“Is everyone going to say that?”

She just shrugged.  Tall was an understatement, honestly.  She barely reached Myka’s shoulders and had to actually look up at her.

“Yes, we are all going to say it,” she said.  “Cause you got really tall.”

Myka just shook her head.  “C’mon, let’s get inside.”

Claudia groaned.  “Do we have to?” she whined.

Myka just gave her a look and stepped into the classroom.  Claudia reluctantly followed her.

She groaned again at the seating chart projected onto the pull down screen in the front of the classroom.  She perked up a bit when she saw that she and Myka were sitting by each other, with Myka diagonally behind her.

Not close enough to talk during class, but totally within note-passing distance.  If she could convince Myka to ever pass notes.

Totally not going to happen.

She turned to try and convince Myka anyway, but the bell rang before she could get a word out and the teacher started to talk.

She gave Myka a petulant look, making the older girl roll her eyes before turning her attention to the teacher.

-oOo-

“This class is going to be crazy,” Claudia said as they walked out of the classroom.  “Homework every night.  Quizzes everyMonday.  An exam  _every_ month.”

“It’s math, did you expect anything else?” Myka mused.

“No, but still…”  She trailed off as Myka started to walk down the hall, the opposite way of the room.  “Is your locker that way?” she asked.

Myka stopped and shifted uncomfortably.  “Umm, no.”

“Then where are you going?”

Myka pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and wrinkled her nose as she stared at the ceiling.

“Home,” she finally said.

“What?  What about…”

“I’m not going.”

Claudia stared at her.

“I don’t know when I will be going back.”

“Why?”  She could guess why, but couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“I just… need more time to recover,’ Myka continued.  “All I want to do right now is sleep.”

Concern covered Claudia’s face.

“It’s just a headache,” Myka quickly said.  She glanced at her watch.  “I gotta go.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Claudia nodded as Myka turned and let the crowd pull her down the hall.  She slumped slightly, shoulders hunched and head down, then turned the opposite way Myka had gone.

She only made it a few feet before anger replaced her misery.

-oOo-

Pete slumped into the Room.  He was excited to be back, but knowing that Myka wasn’t going to be there, it felt wrong.

He stopped short.  There were two extra people in the room.  He nodded at Steve, then raised an eyebrow at the girl talking with Leena.

The pregnant girl talking with Leena.

The pregnant girl talking with Leena with a British accent.

That must be Helena.

“Who are you?”

Pete jumped at Claudia’s voice behind him.

“Don’t do that,” he muttered.

She just shrugged as she pushed past him into the Room.  He followed her in and perched on the arm of the chair she slumped in.

“About time you two showed up,” Artie grumbled.

“Cool it, gumps,” Claudia shot back as she lifted her legs onto the table.  “Some of us have to deal with slow walkers on our way here.”

He glared at her.  “Dodge them next time and no feet on the table.”

She dropped her feet with a thud.  “Kinda hard to do when they take up the entire hallway.”

“Figure it out.  As you can see, we have two new students joining us.”

“Obviously,” Claudia snarked.

Pete raised an eyebrow at Claudia’s attitude.  He glanced at Leena, who was intently watching Claudia with a concerned expression.

“You already know Steve Jinks,” Artie continued.

“And he will be getting a stern talking to about not telling me he was going to be here.”

Artie turned to Claudia, who just glared at him.  “Do you mind?” he asked.

“Of course not, you can continue,” she told him.

He glared at her but continued.  “For those of you who don’t know, this is Helena Wells.  She’s transferring here from England.”

“They have the program in England?” Pete asked.

Artie turned his glare to Pete.  “They have it in multiple countries and stop interrupting.”

“I only interrupted once,” Pete protested.

“And you just did it again.”

Pete slouched down, grumbling.

“And, as I am sure you have all noticed, Myka is not here and will not be joining us for the time being.”

“Myka?” Helena spoke up.  Pete perked up slightly at her accent.  It was smooth and rich.  “Myka Bering?” she continued.

Artie narrowed his eyes at her.  “You know Myka?”

Helena nodded.  “I met her during the summer, when I frequented the bookstore her parents own.  She’s also in my English class.”

Pete noticed Leena smile slightly, but brushed it off.

“You’ve been to the store?” Claudia asked.

“It is the only bookstore in the area, of course I’ve been there.”

Claudia goes to make another retort, but Pete rests a hand on her shoulder.  She snapped her head around to glare at him but he just shook his head slightly.  She huffed and

“Can we just move on with today’s plans?” Artie cut in, then continued before any of them could speak.

-oOo-

“So,” Leena drawled.

“So, what?” Helena replied.

They were alone in Leena’s car, having just dropped everyone off at home.  Leena stopped at a stop sign, then threw Helena a look before accelerating again.

“So… Myka,” Leena continued.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Helena’s voice was airy as she brushed Leena off.

“The girl you met over the summer.  The girl in your English class.  The girl you’re crushing on.  It’s Myka.”

Helena didn’t say anything for a few moments.  She lowered her window a few inches, then raised it again.  “And if she is?  Nothing is to come from it.  She has her boyfriend and I highly doubt her father would permit her to date someone like me.  Granted, I get the feeling that there isn’t much he permits her to do.”

Leena glanced over at Helena but didn’t say anything.  Helena stared at the other girl.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?” she pushed.

“Just, be careful,” Leena slowly replied.  “Her did isn’t a good guy.”

“I had already figured that much out,” Helena sighed.

-oOo-

Tracy lightly knocked on her parent’s door.  She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she waited for a reply.

Her mother had to be in there.  Myka and their father were down in the store and she hadn’t seen her mother the entire day.  Leaving Myka with him left a bad feeling in her stomach, but there were guests and she had to talk to her mother.

The door slowly opened a few inches and her mom peered out.

“Tracy.”  The word was a mix of relief and panic.  “Whatever you want, go ask your father.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s about Myka.”

Her mother watched her for a few moments, then pulled her into the room.  Tracy stared at her and the bruise beneath her eye.

“A book fell from the top shelf.”

“Bullshit,” she said before she could stop herself.

Her mom just stared at her in shock.

“I know what a bruise from a falling book looks like, and it’s not that.”

“Tracy -”

“No.  He did that, didn’t he?”

“Tracy -”

“I heard you talking last night, in the kitchen.”

Her mom stopped trying to cut her off.

“I don’t care about who her real dad is, but we can get Myka away from him,” Tracy continued.  “We  _need_ to get Myka away from him.”


	25. Chapter 25

Myka moved her finger down the margin of the page as she read.  Her eyes were sore and the lines blurred together despite her guiding finger.

She sighed, closed the book, and put it back in her bag. She still had to make it through two classes before she could get her medicine. She was sure there was a reason why they refused to increase her dosage, but she didn't like it.

She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. She sensed Helena take her seat. She slowly looked up to her concerned gaze.

"Headache," she brushed it off.

Helena nodded slightly, then tilted her head and moved closer to Myka.

"So, you are in the program."

Myka looked up at Helena at the words. "What program?" She knew what Helena meant, there was only one possibility, but she had to make sure.

Helena smiled and tilted her head slightly. "With Peter and Leena and Claudia."

"Oh, that program." Yes, best to continue to feign ignorance. Wait. "You're in the program?"

Helena's smile grew. "It is, in fact, the reason I came to this specific school."

"Really?"

Helena tilted her head in response. "It seems it was more than mere luck that we have met."

Myka raised an eyebrow but Ms. Belk got the attention of the class before she could say anything.

-oOo-

Helena mentally cursed herself for her slip. She couldn't be so flippant with her words around Myka. Myka had a boyfriend. Myka would never be with someone like her. Hell, she didn't even know if Myka was into girls.

She turned her attention to Ms. Belk. The teacher was explaining their first assignment.

A short story, due at the end of the semester. Yadda-yadda. Peer revision throughout the semester. Blah blah blah. Minimum of fifteen pages.

Ms. Belk started to pass out rubrics and Helena fully tuned her out.

She watched Myka instead.

Subtly, of course. Glancing at her direction every few minutes. Watching the teacher the rest of the time.

She made every glance count, however, noting the little things about Myka.

The way her fingers curled around her pen.

The fact that she used a pen instead of a pencil.

How intent her attention on the teacher was.

How she made neat notes on the rubric.

How her curls shifted every time she moved.

The vivid green her eyes turned to in the light streaming through the window.

Helena sighed lightly and turned to her rubric. She was starting to feel a bit creepy, staring at Myka the way she was.

She moved her left hand beneath the desk to wrap around her stomach, around her child, and highlighted random words on her rubric with her right.

She had already expected it to be a long year, but the presence of Myka Bering was going to do her few favors.

-oOo-

Myka looked at Pete over her sandwich. He was staring at his food as he pushed his green beans around the tray. Their conversations had been slightly strained before he had trailed off.

She looked at Leena, who tilted her head slightly, then put her sandwich down and sighed.

"What's wrong, Pete?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Why would anything be wrong?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?"

Pete sighed and put his fork down. "I'm worried about you," he finally said. "You're  _there_ so much. Either there or here and I don't like it."

Myka smiled shrewdly. "I'm fine," she said.

"Myka…"

"Besides, I'm not just here or there. I'm going out with Sam on Friday."

She hadn't planned on telling him, but the way he perked up was worth it.

"Yeah?"

She nodded and her cheeks turned a pale red.

"Where are you going?" he pressed.

"The movies, then the diner."

"Your dad's letting you do both?"

She shrugged. "Why wouldn't he?"

He gave her a look, making her shrink slightly and concede to his point.

"It's all fine," she muttered. "I'm fine, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

"I'll worry about you until you're out of there."

Myka sighed and, as the bell rang, stood up.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said before slipping into the crowd.

Pete groaned. "I'm an idiot," he murmured.

"You're just trying to look out for her," Leena told him.

He sighed and nodded.

-oOo-

Myka was ready for it when Claudia threw herself at her in the hallway outside their math class.

"It's only been a day," she chuckled after pulling back.

"It should be less," Claudia grumbled. "It was weird yesterday."

"You'll be fine without me there," Myka told her.

"It's not the same." Claudia hit the doorframe with the side of her foot as they walked into the classroom. "You're not there, and we have two new people."

"Two? I know about Helena, but who else?"

"Steve."

Myka nodded slightly, taking her seat. Claudia leaned against Myka's desk.

"Isn't it odd how we're all connected?" Claudia mused as she pulled her notebook out of her bag.

"I guess," Myka replied. She had never really thought about it, but it was odd.

"Anyway, Artimus has us reviewing for now. Just a little before we take some sort of assessment."

Myka nodded. Pete and Leena had told her all about it at lunch, but she wasn't going to stop Claudia.

"Oh, and the next time you get a new, hot, British friend, you tell us, okay? Especially if she's preggo."

Myka laughed and nodded. "I'll be sure to."

"Good."

The teacher moved to the front of the class and Claudia slipped into her seat.

-oOo-

Claudia felt her anger start to rise again as the teacher dismissed the class. She was going to have to part ways with Myka again, letting Myka go to  _that place_ while she and the rest of them did nothing about it.

"So, you think Helena's hot?" Myka absently said as they walked into the hallway.

"What? When did I say that?" Claudia replied, her voice strained. She had hoped Myka hadn't noticed her slip.

Myka just glanced at her and smiled. "I don't mean anything by it," she said. "You would have to be blind to not see how hot that girl is. I'll see you tomorrow."

It wasn't until Claudia was halfway down the hallway that she realized that Myka had just been trying to distract her.

She shook her head and smiled despite herself. The smile vanished when she approached the entrance to the basement, only to see Tracy Bering hovering by the door.

The girl looked distressed. She kept running a hand through her hair while her other hand was clenched around the strap of her bag.

"What do you want?" Claudia asked her when she was close enough.

Tracy jumped and spun to her. Her eyes were wide and Claudia couldn't help but notice that she hadn't put make-up on that day.

"Oh, thank God," Tracy murmured. "I didn't want to have to go down alone."

"Why do you think you'll be allowed down there?"

Tracy ducked her head and shuffled her feet slightly. "I need help."

"With what?"

She looked up. "Myka."

Claudia raised an eyebrow. "What about Myka?"

"You know what. I want to help her."

Claudia moved back slightly, then opened the door. She gestured for Tracy to go down, then quickly followed. They walked through the hallway silently. Claudia moved in front of Tracy as they approached the Room.

"We have a guest," she said as she walked through the door.

Everyone stared at her until they noticed Tracy, then they all started talking at once. She couldn't make much out, but she figured that most of them were confused, while Artie was mad at her for bringing 'unauthorized personnel' with her.

"Shut it," she yelled, silencing them. "Let her speak."

Tracy threw her an appreciative look as she stepped forward. She scratched the back of her head and took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"I didn't know where else to go," she started. "I know you all care for her, so I figured you could help me." She choked on her own words for a moment.

Claudia watched as dark understanding washed over Leena, as Pete fought to keep his anger down, as Helena and Steve watched with concern. Artie's face was set, as if he was already planning something.

"Myka needs… _needs_ to get away from our father but I-I can't get her out by myself, and my mom's too scared to really help." She glanced at each of them, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please."

Artie was the first to react. He stood, let out a gruff 'stay here', and left the room, closing the door behind him.

The teenagers all stared at Tracy, watching her tears begin to fall, until Leena stood. She moved to Tracy, then pulled her to one of the armchairs.

"We'll get her out," she promised. "We'll get her out."

Tracy nodded. "Good."

Claudia watched for a few more moments before escaping to the bookshelves across the room. She sat with her back against the books, her legs crossed, and her head in her hands.

She didn't realize that anyone had followed her until she felt someone sit next to her. An arm wrapped around her shoulders, making her tense up until the person spoke.

"We're getting her out," Pete whispered. "She's going to be safe."

Claudia nodded and leaned into him.

-oOo-

Myka put the pen down and rubbed her temples. The damned headache refused to let up and going through the ledger only irritated it.

She jumped when the door crashed open. She looked up to see Sam, eyes wide and chest heaving.

"This weekend," he gasped out. "We're leaving this weekend."

Myka froze. "What?"

"They decided they want my mom there by the end of next week, so we have to leave this weekend, right after I get home from school on Friday."

"No," Myka groaned. She moved around the counter and stood in front of him with her arms around herself. "That's…that's too soon."

He stepped closer to her, and cupped her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Myka. There's nothing I can do."

"About what?"

Myka flinched as her father walked into the store, a box of books in his arms. Sam straightened and turned to him.

"I found out that I'm leaving on Friday," Sam said. "My mom told me this morning."

Warren watched him closely. Sam continued after a moment.

"The plans Myka and I had were for Friday, but I want to know if I can take her out tonight instead."

"It's a school night," he commented as he walked past them to put the box onto the counter.

Sam turned, following him, while Myka did her best to keep Sam between her and her father.  Perhaps, she reasoned, if he only really saw Sam, he wouldn't get as mad.

"I know, sir, but I don't know when I'll get to see her again. I just want to make the most of the time we have now."

"Please," Myka said before she could stop herself.

Warren's eyes flicked to her and his nostrils flared.

"Mr. Bering," Sam cut in, unaware of the tension between father and daughter. "I haven't been able to take Myka on a proper date since before the accident and this may be my last chance for a while. Please. I'll have her back by eleven."

Warren considered him before speaking again. "You will have her back by ten."

Sam instantly nodded. "Of course, sir. Thank you. Thank you so much."


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, the next few chapters are gunna be pretty intense with nothing to really break it up. I will post a note in the beginning of the chapter that begins the cool down (cause I can't think of anything else to call it) so if anyone want to wait and just read it straight through, they can.

“She should be home alone right now,” Tracy said.

“How sure are you?” Mrs. Fredric asked.

“Pretty sure.  Our parents are going to pick up a shipment in Featherhead tonight.  They should be gone for hours.”

“What if they come back early?” Artie asked.

“My mom knows I’m talking to you.  She’s going to try and keep him away as long as possible.”

Mrs. Fredric nodded, then turned away.  “Come, Arthur.”

She walked out of the room.  Artie glared at the teenagers.

“Do not go anywhere,” he told them.

Pete stood and started to argue, but Artie closed the door before he could get a word out.

“Fuck,” he growled.  He spun to face the others.  “We should drive over to the store and get her.”

“Artie told us to stay here,” Steve replied.

Everybody glanced at him as Pete scoffed.

“We can’t do nothing,” he said.

Leena walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder.  “If we interfere, we could make it worse,” she told him.  “They are going to get her, through the proper channels, and they are going to make sure she doesn’t go back.”

Pete looked at her for a few moments, then pulled away and stalked to the other side of the room, disappearing behind the bookshelves.

Tracy stared at where he had vanished, then sat with her face in her hands, her elbows digging into her thighs.

She could feel the stares of the others turn to her, and slowly looked up to meet them.  She looked back down when the first look she met was Claudia’s harsh glare.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.  “I should of paid more attention.  I should of helped sooner.”

“Yeah, you should of,” Claudia snarked.

“Claudia,” Leena softly chided.

“No,” Claudia cut her off.  “If she hadn’t been so blind Myka would already be safe.  Could have been safe for years.”

Tracy flinched as the words settled on her shoulders.  She had been avoiding the very thoughts for days; to hear them come from someone else cut into her.

“I know that,” she choked out.

“Do you?” Claudia scoffed.  “Do you, really?  Has it really hit you how much danger you’ve put her in?”

Tracy’s chest constricted.  Memories of every time her sister had been injured flashed through her mind.

“It has,” she said.

“No,” Claudia cut her off.  “It hasn’t.  And it won’t until it’s too late.”

She stared at Tracy for a few moments, long enough for tears to well up in her eyes, then – brushing her tears away with the cuff of her sweater sleeve – followed Pete into the bookshelves.

She found him sitting in the same position they had been before Artie had brought Mrs. Fredric.  She sat next to him and let him pull her to him.  She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.

On the other side of the room, the others sat in silence until Helena’s phone went off after a few moments.  She pulled it out of her pocket, then cursed under her breath.

“Leena,” she said.  “My appointment.”

Leena closed her eyes and nodded.

“I’ll call the hospital and have them move it to tomorrow,” Helena continued.

“No,” Leena told her.  “You have to go to this appointment.”

Helena was about to protest, but Leena glanced down at her baby bump before raising an eyebrow.  Helena sighed and turned to Steve.

“Could you perhaps make sure Leena and I are updated on anything that happens while we are gone?”

Steve nodded.  “Of course.”

“Thank you.”

-oOo-

Myka watched as Bubba listed the different ways to cook shrimp.  She had a brief thought that Forrest would probably be able to recite every dish his friend listed before Sam suddenly leant over and kissed her jaw.

She flinched away but he didn’t seem to notice.  He kissed her again, further down her jaw, then again.  He brought his hand up to cup her other cheek.  His thumb rubbed her skin as he turned her head towards him, then moved over her lips before he kissed them.

She recoiled and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Wha…what are you doing?” she questioned, keeping her voice low to not disturb the…nine…other people in the theater.

“Making out with you,” Sam replied with a grin.

Myka shifted uncomfortably.  “Why?”

“Because it’s what everyone does at the movies.”

“I thought people watch the movie they paid to see at the movies.”

“It’s not like you’ve never seen Forrest Gump,” he chuckled.  “Everyone’s seen Forrest Gump.”

She glanced around.  Every other couple was making out, like Sam had said.  Only one trio, at the very front of the theater, was actually watching.

She deflated slightly.  How could she explain that she had _not_ seen Forrest Gump?  That she had spent her childhood reading and that, still, the only TV in the apartment was the one in her parents room?

Instead, she gave into him, letting him press their lips together against and again, letting him control how her lips moved, only really reacting when she felt she had to.

She counted the seconds in her head, each passing minute making it harder for her to ignore the twisting in her gut and the lump in her throat.  Her chest constricted, making it hard to breath.  Her head felt faint as barely any air made it into her lungs between her heavy chest and the constant kisses.

She was about to pull away, when she was pushed over her limit as one of his hands moved down to her breast.

She jolted away, her back painfully hitting the armrest.

“I’m sorry,” Sam quickly said.  He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck.  His fingers tangled in the curls at the nape of her neck and rubbed circles on her skin.  “I got a little carried away.”

“It’s okay,” she numbly said, unsure of how to react.

He pulled her back towards him and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.  “How about we take this somewhere more private,” he whispered.

“What?”

“C’mon, Myka.  I really want to say goodbye to you, really show you how much I’m going to miss you.”

Her chest clenched and her brain screamed at her.  She knew where he was going and she didn’t like it.

“Your dad said he and your mom are going to be gone for a few hours.  How about we go to your place?”

“I don’t know, they could be home at any time.”

“If he’s there, we’ll find somewhere else to go.”

“”And if he shows up while…” she cut off, her stomach jolting at even the thought of what he was suggesting.

“He won’t.”  He gripped her hands in both of his.  “I just want to show you how much I love you before I go.”

Her mind battled.  He loved her and he wanted to show her.  She wanted to let him show her.  She wanted to feel his love.  The way he wanted to show her, however, made her feel sick.

“Please, Myka.”

She took a deep breath.  She could do it.  For him.

She nodded, then let him pull her to her feet.  He kissed her lightly before leading her out of the theater.

They were silent until they reached Sam’s car, then he pressed her against the back door and hovered over her.  He leaned on one arm while he caressed her face with his other hand.

He nipped at her lips for a few moments then pressed a kiss to her cheek.  “Let’s go,” he murmured.

He opened her door for her, closed it once she was seated, then moved around the car and got in himself.

They were silent the entire drive.  Sam’s hand rested on Myka’s thigh.  Her skin burned at its presence, but she was too busy working up her nerve for what he wanted to do to make him move it.

-oOo-

She stared into the brown liquid.  Her chest was heavy.  Her throat was tight.

She lifted the coffee to her lips and took a sip.

She had fucked up.

She had majorly fucked up.

-oOo-

Claudia jumped when Pete let out a sharp gasp.

She pulled away from him.  He bent over, clutching his chest.

“Pete?” she questioned.  Her voice wavered around the word.

“Something’s wrong,” he gasped out.  “Something’s really wrong.”

-oOo-

“Are you okay?”

It took Myka a few moments to register Sam’s question.  Her mind was too busy, distracted by everything that was going on – the disappointment that her parents weren’t home – the fear that they would be soon – the eerie silence of the store – the heavy weight of his hands on her hips.

He raised one hand to her chin, lifting her head so she was looking at him, and asked her again.

She answered with a shaky nod.

She was definitely not okay, though.

Her body was shaking.  Her mind was screaming.  Her chest was heavy.  Tears were welling in her eyes.

“Hey,” Sam murmured, wiping away a tear that had fallen.  “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head.  She tried to say something.  Her lips trembled.  Her throat tightened.

He pressed a kiss to her lips.  “It’s alright,” he murmured.

She pushed away from him, the bookshelf digging into her back.  “I can’t,” she choked out.  “I ca…can’t do this.”

She could see the disappointment in his face, but his quickly masked it.

“Okay,” he said.  “Okay.  We don’t have to.”

She nodded and hastily brushed some tears away.

“I’m sorry I pushed you,” he murmured.  “I shouldn’t have.”

She nodded again.  The door opened before either of them could say anything else.

Her breathing went from practically non-existent to near hyperventilation when she saw her father walk in.  Myka pushed herself further against the bookshelf.  Sam spun around, keeping himself between Myka and her father.

Warren stared at them for a few moments, then stood to the side, leaving the door open.

“Get out of here, boy,” he ordered.

“Sir, I can explain,” Sam stuttered.

“Out.  Now.”

“Sam, just go” Myka murmured.  “Please.”

He turned and looked at her with concerned eyes.

“It’ll be fine,” she whispered.  “Promise.”

He nodded after a moment.  “I’ll stay in touch.”

She nodded.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek.  “I’m gunna miss you so much.”

“Miss you, too,” she murmured.

He pulled away, regret joining the concern in his eyes.

“Now,” Warren growled.

Sam glanced between father and daughter for a few moments, then nodded and slipped past him, out into the street.  Warren turned, watching him until he drove away, then closed the door and turned to Myka.

The anger in his eyes paralyzed her.  Her grip on the bookshelf turned her knuckles white.

He stepped towards her.  Her breather grew harder with each step.

“What did you tell them?”

She stared at him, her mind too strung to process the question.

“What did you tell them?”

“Tell what who?” she choked out, then shook her head.  “Tell who what?”

“You know damn well.”

“I haven’t told anyone anything.”

He slapped her.  “Don’t lie to me.”

She rapidly shook her head.  “I’m not.”

“Well, you’re lying to someone.”

“No.”

“Your friends seem to think I hurt you.”

Her eyes grew wide.  Her cheek burned.  She slowly shook her head.

“I never…”

“The cops are going to come take you away.”

“No.”

“That’s what they do to people who lie about stuff like this.”

“No.  It’s…it-it’s not a lie.”

His nostrils flared.  He pressed closer towards her.  “What?”

She stared at him.  If the cops really were coming, did anything she said matter?  If they were coming, somebody had sent them.  If somebody had sent them…they were going to help her.

“It’s not a lie,” she said.  “And I am done lying.”

He grabbed her shoulder and pushed her harder against the shelf.  Her head snapped back, hitting the metal.  She let out a gasp as bright light swam in her vision.

“You are done with nothing.”

She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head, trying to steady her vision.

“I needa go,” she murmured.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

She struggled to focus her mind.  Her eyes locked onto the door.  She pushed against him in a weak attempt to get away.

“What did I just say?”

She shook her head lightly.  “Gotta…gotta go.  Hospital.  Nee…need a hospital.”

He stepped back slightly and swung at her.

They were both surprised when her arm moved up to block his.  He stared at her, then his lip curled into a snarl.  His hand twisted around to grab her wrist.  His grip sent a bolt of pain up her arm and cleared her mind for a moment.

Before he could make another movement, she raised her knee into his groin.  He released her wrist and she dodged around him as he crumpled.  She slipped on a slick spot on the floor, hitting the wall with her shoulder.  She fumbled for the doorknob, but a hand wrapped around her wrist.

She was jerked back.  Pain erupted in her shoulder, then in her head, then everything vanished.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have chosen to wait until it has calmed down, you are still going to want to wait.

“What is taking them so long?” Pete fumed.

Steve shrugged.  He sat awkwardly; hoping that by not doing much, neither Claudia’s nor Pete’s anger would be directed at him.

Tracy sat next to him.  Her hands were moving nonstop around each other.

Claudia was barely visible in the bookshelves.  She mainly kept her head down, but when she looked up, her glare was obviously aimed at Tracy.

Pete groaned when his phone went off.  He looked at it, ready to ignore the call, when he saw who it was.

Sam.

He answered it with a hasty ‘what?’

“Hey, man, can you let me know how Myka is tomorrow?”

He froze.  “Why?”

“Her dad walked in on us making out, and I wanna make sure he didn’t go too harsh on her.”

His entire world froze.

Sam called his name multiple times and the others in the room were staring at him by the time he came to.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he growled.

He could hear how taken back Sam was.

“I didn’t…”

“He walked in and you just fucking left?”

“She told me to.  What was I supposed to do?”

“Not leave.”

“He looked like he was gunna kill me.”

“Yeah?  Well, he might just kill her.”

“What?”

Pete started to respond but his arm dropped as Artie and Mrs. Fredric walked in.  Mrs. Fredric’s face was even more stony than usual, while Artie looked frantic.

“We’re all going to the police station,” Artie said.

“Why?  Where’s Myka?” Tracy asked as she stood up.  Her eyes were wide and frantic.

Steve stood as well, while Claudia emerged, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Artie glanced at Mrs. Fredric, who stepped forwards.

“We don’t know where she is.  They went to the bookstore.  She isn’t there.  They believe your father took her.”

Claudia slowly turned to Tracy.  “Do you get it now?” she quietly asked.  “Do you get what too late is now?”

-oOo-

“C’mon, you should get home.”

Helena shrugged away from Leena’s hand on her shoulder and quickened her pace to put some space between them.  She blinked to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.  Her arms were wrapped around her stomach – had been since the doctor had told her the news.

_High risk._

 “We need to get back to the group,” Helena said.  “I need to know that Myka is alright.”

“You need to rest.”

 “I’ll rest later.”

_Concern for the child’s health._

Leena stepped in front of her, stopping her in her path.  “You said you have to avoid stress.”

“And I will be less stressed being where any news will go first than sitting at home, waiting for someone to remember to inform me.”

They stared at each other for a few moments.

Leena sighed.  “Fine.  They’re at the police station.”

“Why are they there?”

_Bed rest as the due date approaches._

Leena grimaced.  Helena stopped and stared at her.

“Why are they there?” she repeated.

Leena blinked a few times, working up the nerve.

“Leena.  Please.”

“Myka’s missing.”

_Avoid high stress situations._

-oOo-

She should do something – anything – but couldn’t so much as get herself to move.

She had fucked up.  She hadn’t known she could fuck up so much.

“Ma’am?  Ma’am?”

She looked up from the table and at the waitress on the other side.  She reached and pushed her sunglasses further up her nose, hoping they were doing their job.  The waitress raised an eyebrow at her eyewear, but said nothing.

“Do you need anything?” the girl asked.

She shook her head, then stopped and sighed.

“Can you give me directions to the bus station?”

“Of course.  Where are you heading?”

“Jefferson.”

-oOo-

Everyone’s head snapped to the door when it opened.  They all slumped back in their seats when they saw who walked in.

Leena and Helena didn’t say anything.  They just sat down and took on the same posture as the others.

The silence in the room was heavy.  It pushed their shoulders down, bowed their heads, kept their throats tight.

The details – what they had been told, anyway – were running through their heads.

Myka, Jeannie, and Warren were all gone.  The detectives believed there may have been a fight.

Sam was on his way in to tell them what he knew.

Tracy stood suddenly, her eyes wide as she stared through the windows that lined one side of the room.

Everyone looked.  An officer was guiding Jeannie through the hall.  Her eye was swollen and a mixture of resolution and fear covered her face.

When she was no longer visible, they all turned to Tracy, who was frozen in shock.

-oOo-

It took her a few moments – minutes? – hours? – to realize that her eyes were open.  Then she stared at the ketchup stain on the fabric above her for a few moments – minutes? – hours? – before she realized that she was in the car.

Tracy had put that stain there when they were kids.

(had it been when they were kids?  could she be certain it wasn’t last year? week? yesterday?)

She blinked slowly.  The stain was a dark brown and oddly shaped like the letter ‘q’.

(could she really be certain it was ketchup?  plenty of things stained like that – pizza sauce – chocolate – barbeque sauce – blood)

She tried to lift her arm to touch the stain – perhaps feeling it would help her remember – but was stopped by the pain that ripped through her shoulder.

She let out a cry and every thought of the stain vanished.

Pain flooded into her body.  Her shoulder.  Her ankle.  Her back.  Her head.

God, her head.  Her brain was about to break through her skull.  She was sure of it.

(it was going to tap dance on the dashboard – tango on the passenger seat – break the rearview mirror)

The mirror her father was watching her in.

His mouth moved.

She couldn’t hear what he said.

“Wha?  Say ‘gain,” she slurred.

His mouth moved again, but still no words.

“Can’ hear.”

Her own voice moved through her head but failed to meet her ears.  The words were vibrations in her throat, not sounds.

She couldn’t hear anything.

(no voice – no voice – no voice)

The edges of her vision turned hazy.  The colors blurred together.

(no ears – no ears – no ears)

Her world returned to black.

-oOo-

“We just received reports of an Amber Alert that was just issued for fifteen year old Myka Bering – that’s her picture on the screen now, 5’9”, curly brown hair – from Jefferson, South Dakota.  It is believed that she was taken by her father, is in serious danger, and quite possibly already injured.

“The report says to keep an eye out for a silver, 1995 Ford Taurus, license plate ‘83G M25’.  Take a good look at her picture, if you see anything, Myka herself or the car described, we urge you to call the authorities immediately.

“The second picture you see is Warren Bering, Myka’s father and alleged kidnapper.  We have reason to believe that he is dangerous and has already harmed Myka.

“Again, Myka Bering, fifteen years old, 5’9”, curly brown hair, possibly injured, in a silver, 1995 Ford Taurus, license plate ‘83G M25.’  If you see anything, please call the number on your screen, Myka Bering’s life may depend on it.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is still intense, so you may want to continue to wait if you are.

“Two hours into the search for Myka Bering and, while no new information has been released, her friends and family wait for any news.  Please, if you see this girl, her father, Warren Bering, or his silver, 1995 Ford Taurus, license plate ‘83G M25,’ please contact the authorities immediately.”

-oOo-

Absolute silence is overbearing.

Myka had decided that five exits ago.

It pushed down on her.  It came at her from all sides.  It was unbreakable, unbearable, unbelievable.

She couldn’t hear a thing.

(nebraska)

She couldn’t hear her father muttering, or the radio, or the cars they occasionally passed.

She couldn’t hear her own cries – whimpers – pain whenever she moved her arm.

(capital;  lincoln)

Her shoulder was swollen, her shirt tight around it.  She had done nothing more than poke it a bit, to try and find out what was wrong.

Dislocated, maybe.  Broken, maybe.

Did it really matter?

Did her shoulder really matter when she couldn’t hear?

Did any of it really matter when her father was holding her prisoner?

(nickname:  cornhusker state)

-oOo-

“I can’t do this anymore,” Pete suddenly exclaimed.  He stood, the force pushing his chair back.  “I can’t just sit around waiting for them to do something.”

“What are you going to do?” Claudia scathed.  “Go find her yourself?  Maybe you’ll be able to catch the car while running.  Maybe she’s actually at Ted’s, waiting for us.  Maybe this is all just one fucked up dream.”

“Anything is better than sitting here doing nothing.”

“It is,” Helena said as she stood.

“What are you doing, Helena?” Leena asked.

Helena ignored her and addressed Pete.  “If she had gotten away after they fought, where might she have gone?”

Pete thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

“My place, but my mom’s been there a few times already, just to check…” he trailed off, then realization covered his face.  “The park.  The fastest way to get from her place to mine is to cut through it.”

“Then we should start there.”

“You can’t start anywhere, Helena,” Leena said.

“Why not?  Why can’t I help find my friend?”

Leena gave her a look, but Helena just stared right back.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you.”

-oOo-

“Daddy?”

He turned to her, acknowledging that she had spoken.

“Wanna go home.”

He said something as he shook his head.  She could make out the word ‘not’ as it moved his lips.

(did the word move his lips? or did his lips create the words?)

(or was it something entirely different)

“Why not?”

What he said was clear.

“You fucked up.”

(but if it was something different, how could she know what he was saying without sound?)

-oOo-

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Jeannie stared at her hands as she flexed her fingers around the Styrofoam cup.

“I messed up,” she murmured.

“How?’

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Her jaw trembled slightly and her eye ached.

“I was supposed to keep him out of the house.  Tracy was going to contact people to get Myka.  I failed.”

She took a sip of the coffee.  The sharp taste focused her mind.  The detective watched her silently, waiting for her to continue.

“We were driving to Featherhead.  He wanted to go back when we were halfway there.”  She shook her head.  “He knew something was up when I tried to convince him to keep going.”

-oOo-

“Are you telling me, that a group of teenagers walked out of here unnoticed?”

The officer flinched slightly beneath the detective’s anger.  He glanced at the empty room and flinched again.

“Why weren’t you watching them?”

“The pregnant one asked for a chocolate bar.”

“So you thought you would walk away and get her one?”

“She said the doctors told her to keep her blood sugar up.”

“You’re a fucking idiot, Smith.  It is the middle of the night, we have no news about Myka, and now we have five more teenagers to find.”

-oOo-

“She isn’t here,” Pete growled.  He fell back against a tree, then slid to the ground.

“They’ll find her,” Leena said. She crouched next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, but they could all hear the strain in her voice.

Nobody said anything.  They just sat between the trees, stunned as everything settled on them.

They had searched the entire park, and hadn’t found any evidence that Myka had been there.  They all knew that they should head back to the police station, but none of them wanted to admit defeat.

After a few minutes, Helena stood abruptly and began to stalk off.

Leena stood and stepped after her.  “Helena,” she called.

Helena stopped.  “I can’t just sit here.”

She started off again, then froze, one hand jerking her to stomach.

“Leena,” she choked out.  “Something’s wrong.”

She let out a cry and doubled over.

-oOo-

“We start the day with no news regarding Myka Bering, the fifteen year old girl taken by her father yesterday.  Please remember, that if you see her, her father, Warren Bering, or his silver, 1995 Ford Taurus, license plate ‘83G M25,’ please contact the authorities immediately.

“The AMBER Alert has been expanded to include Nebraska, Wyoming, and Iowa.  If you have any news, or anything that could even potentially be news, I urge you to call immediately.  The police believe Myka could be in grave danger, and possibly already injured.”

-oOo-

Myka stared at what her father had tossed back when he had climbed back into the car.  A browning banana and a bag of Doritos sat on the seat next to her.

(this shit – it’s banana’s – B-A-N-A-N-A-S)

(wyoming)

She looked up at him.  He jerked his head towards the food, his message clear.  Eat.

She deliberated the choice in front of her.

(capital:  cheyenne)

Eat nothing.

Eat the Doritos first.

Eat the banana first.

(B-A-N-A-N-A-S)

Alternate bites.

(deliberate – engage in long and careful consideration – fifth grade vocab quiz bonus question – only one in the class to get it)

She opened the chips first.  Eating the banana later would get the nacho taste out of her mouth.  She hated that taste.  She preferred the cool ranch Doritos.

And who ate any type of Doritos for breakfast?

(or had someone else gotten it? did she even actually know how to use the word?)

(state… fossil: knightia)

-oOo-

Leena flexed her fingers slightly.  They had been crushed by Helena for hours, and the tips had finally returned to their normal color.

The nurses had taken Helena to a room in the ICU over an hour ago and hadn’t allowed any of them to go with her, or so much as told them what was wrong.

Jane had rushed to the hospital after Pete had called her.  She had taken him and Tracy back to the police station.  Steve’s mom had picked him up and had tried to take Claudia for the night, but the girl had refused.

Leena looked up as Claudia walked into the waiting room, bags of chips and chocolate bars in her hands.

“Food,” she murmured, passing some to Leena.

“Thanks.”

Claudia sat heavily in the seat next to Leena.  She pulled her legs up, to cross them on her seat.  She opened her chips, cool ranch Doritos, and reached into the bag to poke a few.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be at home right now?” Leena softly asked.

Claudia shook her head.

Leena set a hand on Claudia’s shoulder.

“Or the police station?” she gently pressed.

Another head shake.

“Claudia?”

“This is the only place I can be right now without going bat-shit,” Claudia whispered.

Leena nodded.  They ate in silence for a few moments, before Claudia nodded off, her head on Leena’s shoulder.

-oOo-

“Hello?”

“Zach?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“It’s Jeannie.”

There were a few moments of silence from the other end.

“Zach?”

“I’m still here, I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you.  It’s been years, Jeannie.”

“I…I know, but I…I need help.”

“What’s wrong?”

She could hear the concern in his voice.

“He took her, Zach.  He took my baby girl and he’s probably hurt her and – oh, God – he could kill her.”

“Calm down, Jeannie.  You need to calm down.”

She took a few deep breaths.

“Who has her?  I’m assuming you’re talking about your daughter, but who has her?”

“Warren.  He took her.”

His confusion was obvious. “Why would he take her?  Why would he hurt her?  He’s her father.”

“No, he’s not.  You are, and he’s always hated her for it.”

-oOo-

“This food is crap,” Tracy grumbled.

Pete said nothing as he took another bite of pizza.  His mom had vanished after bringing them back to the police station.

He was torn between wanting to go find her and yell at her, going back out to look for Myka, and breaking down.

“I don’t understand how this food is so fucking bad.”

Or find a way – any way – to make Tracy shut up.  That was always an option.

-oOo-

Claudia jolted awake as her head fell suddenly.

She fought to regain her breath, pressing a hand to her chest.  She couldn’t remember all of her dream, just snippets, but enough to cloud her brain.

“Claudia?  Claudia?  Calm down.  Deep breaths.”

She latched onto Leena’s voice, using it to pull herself into full consciousness.

Leena’s face was just inches from her.  Her eyes were wide, and full on concern.  Her face was framed by curls, limp from the stress.

Without thinking, Claudia leaned forward and pressed her lips against Leena’s.  Leena was still for a second, then returned the kiss.

Claudia pulled away after a moment, stared at Leena with wide eyes, then raced from the room.

-oOo-

Myka stared at the blood in her underwear.  Her mind struggled to understand what she was looking at.

(little miss muffet, sat on a tuffet – eating her curds and whey)

It hit her.

Of course.

Of – fucking – course.

(colorado)

She wadded some toilet paper up and did her best to pull the blood out of the fabric.  When she got out all that she could, she folded more up, and draped it over the stain.

(along came a spider – who sat down beside her)

There was no way she was going to tell him about it, so there was no way for her to get a pad or tampon.

Toilet paper was going to have to do.

(state insect:  colorado hairstreak butterfly)

She could only hope that the cramps weren’t too bad.

(and frightened miss muffet away)

-oOo-

Helena did her best to keep her breaths deep and calm as the nurse was instructing her to.  They kept telling her that the calmer she stayed, the better it would turn out in the end.

The pain that ripped through her abdomen and the worry that plagued her mind, however, made staying calm very difficult.

She flexed the fingers that rested on her stomach, on her child.

She had to get them both through.

She had no other choice.

-oOo-

She looked up as the ceiling light flicked on and pierced her brain.  Her father had entered the room, a 7-11 bag in his hands.

He glanced at her, then reluctantly walked in her direction.  He turned the bag over, letting the contents fall to the bed, then walked to the bathroom.

(why was six afraid of seven? because seven eight nine)

(capital:  denver)

She wearily eyed the muffin, apple, water bottle, and generic pain medicine that sat next to her.

Slowly, she grabbed the medicine.

(the joke had been funnier when she was a kid)

(the food was better than at the room they had stayed in the previous night)

(colorado)

-oOo-

Leena found Claudia curled up in one of the pews of the empty chapel.

Claudia glanced up, then looked back down and pushed herself further away from Leena.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Leena quietly told her.

Claudia blinked rapidly and shook her head.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.  “I shouldn’t of…”

“Hey,” Leena cut her off.  “Don’t apologize.”

Claudia stared at her with wide eyes.  Leena reached over and cupped Claudia’s face.

“I like you, Claudia, I do.”

“But?”

“Among other things, you’re dating Todd.”

“I don’t want to date Todd anymore.  I never liked Todd like that.”

“Still, Claudia, you’re nearly four years younger than me.  There is a major difference between fourteen and seventeen.  I’m graduating this year and you aren’t even halfway done with school.”

Claudia sat unmoving as Leena spoke.

“Then there’s the legal aspect.  I turn eighteen in just a few months, a legal adult.”

“What if I don’t care?”

Claudia flinched as soon as the words left her mouth.  She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head slightly.

“You know what, fuck it.  I’m just some pervy fuck up with a crush, and you shouldn’t have to deal with me.”

She stood and moved to leave, but Leena grabbed her arm.  Leena stood, the made Claudia turn to face her.

“Did you hear me say I don’t like you?” Leena asked.  “Did you?  No.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I said that I do.  The problem is, we can’t do this right now.  Maybe in a few years, but not now.”

Claudia hung her head and let Leena pull her into a hug.  After a few moments, Claudia tightened her arms around Leena and pressed her face into her neck.  The few tears Claudia couldn’t hold back burned as they landed on Leena’s skin.

Leena let Claudia control the length of the hug.  She knew that it had passed reassurance for what she had just said, and that it everything that was going on was that made Claudia’s fingers twist in the back of her shirt.

When they parted, Leena cupped Claudia’s face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb.

“We’ll talk more when Myka’s safe, okay?”

Claudia nodded.  “Okay.”

-oOo-

“We are now in day three of the search for Myka Bering and must continue to urge you to report if you see her, or her father, or a silver, 1995 Ford Taurus, license plate ‘83G M25.’”

-oOo-

Zach pulled his drawer open and grabbed a few pairs of socks.

“I don’t understand why you have to go.”

He turned to his wife, who was sitting against their headboard, and nodded.  “I know you don’t, but I have to.”

“Because some tramp claims you’re the father of her daughter?”

He sighed.  “Come on, Meg, be fair.”

“Fair?” she scoffed.  “Was it fair for her to only tell you when the girl went missing?”

“No, maybe not, but I still need to go help however I can.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t let this girl suffer any more than she already has.”

Meg sighed and nodded.  Zach stepped towards her, tossing the socks in his hand onto his duffel bag.  He pushed her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“We’ll get this all sorted out, I promise, but it’s going to have to wait until after Myka is found.”

-oOo-

Pain ripped through her abdomen.  It stabbed into her, slicing up and down.

Floating voices tried to reassure her, tried to calm her.

The voices were nothing more than voices, though.  No words cut through her pain.

Other sensations, however, managed to bleed into the pain.

Being lifted from one bed to another.

Hands working at something on her wrist.

Figures rushing about her.

She tried to move her hand to her stomach, but it was unable to.

“My baby,” she mumbled, the words leaving her mouth as liquid, bubbling and gurgling, dripping from the corner of her mouth.  “My baby.”

-oOo-

“I’m taking Myka,” Jane declared.

Mrs. Fredric raised an eyebrow.  They were in the parking lot of the police station.  Jane had run home to get clean clothes for Pete – who refused to go anywhere other than the station and the hospital – and had turned after getting out of the car, only to find the Caretaker standing behind her.

“When they find her, when she is safe, she will be coming to live with Pete and me.  We already have the paperwork in place, I just need you to make sure it happens.”

Mrs. Fredric watched her for a few moments, then nodded.

“Yes.  That’s probably best.”

Jane was about to continue when Mrs. Fredric seemed to shrink in front of her.  Her shoulders hunched slightly, and her head bowed.  She raised one hand to rub a temple.

“We should have helped her,” the woman sighed.  “The council was too worried about protecting the Warehouse, but…”

“The Warehouse wasn’t the one in danger.”

“No.”  Mrs. Fredric stood straighter.  “I will make sure she goes home with you, that you will get custody of her.”

Jane nodded, then watched as Mrs. Fredric turned and walked to her car.  Once the car had pulled away, Jane slumped slightly, and turned to go back inside.

-oOo-

She watched with hooded eyes as her father got out of the car, then made a point to lock the doors.  She stared at his back as he walked to the store.

(kansas)

She hoped he would bring a better breakfast than Doritos and a banana.  Her eyes slowly slid to the field next to the car.

(Children of the Corn – My God, there aren't any weeds!)

The grass was tall.

Tall enough for her to hide in.

(hated hide-and-seek)

(peek-a-boo – i see you)

She could hide until he left, (only so many places to hide) then try and get back to Jefferson.

(topeka – topeka – jefferson – tooooopeeeeekaaaaa)

She glanced at the store.  There was no movement in the windows and nobody outside.

She took a deep breath and pulled on the door…door…thing that opened the door.

(knob – lever – handle – whatever)

The door, however, didn’t open.

She closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath through her nose as she realized the child lock was on.

(stupid thing, she wasn’t a child)

She glanced at the building again, then crawled to the front seat.

(hanery silt loam)

She forced her way through the small space. (always found her)  Her shoulder screamed.  Her ankle protested.

It could be her only chance to get away.

(topeka – denver – cheyenne – lincoln)

She paused when she was through.  The pain rolled through her body.

(put another dime in the jukebox baby)

She took a shuddering breath and opened the passenger door.  (knob – lever – handle – whatever)  She lowered her foot slowly, her eyes never leaving the building.

(looking away was death – the state soil of kansas was hanery silt loam – death was bad)

Her legs trembled slightly as she put her whole weight on them.  She gripped the car.  Her head grew light.

(jefferson)

(topeka)

(jefferson)

She blinked.

(ready)

Her dad was standing in the door to the building.

(peek-a – hide and seek – boo)

(set)

They stared at each other for a moment.

(go)

(always found her)


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still more on the intense side, if you are waiting.

They both bolted.

Her to the grass.  Him to her.

Her head cleared as she ran.  Her pain muted.  Getting away was all that mattered.

The grass grabbed at her.  It scratched her arms.  It tore her legs.

Her feet slipped on the rocks beneath her.  Her knees gave out every few steps.

Only the thought of him chasing her kept her upright.

Adrenaline coursed through her as she changed direction once…twice…three times…before slipping into a copse of trees.

Her mind was blurred, only focused on getting one foot in front of the other.  She dodged around trees.  She ducked beneath low branches.

She ran into the stone wall that edged the woods.

She froze as pain shot through her chest.

Her fingers gripped the stones, just trying to stay upright.  Her eyes were wide.  Her mouth let out cries she couldn’t hear.

When the pain subsided enough, she slowly turned and scanned the trees.

There was no sign of him.

(peek-a-boo)

She forced herself over the wall, then sat on the other side. (i ran with my heart pounding down that broken path, with the devil snappin at my heels ) She pressed her back against the wall, and pulled her knees to her chest.

Her eyes drooped, but she forced them to stay open.  She had no other defenses.  (‘my father’s house’ – bruce springsteen)  He could appear at any point.

(always found her)

When the adrenaline faded, however, her eyes closed on their own and sleep quickly took her.

-oOo-

Warren cursed himself.

He had lost her.  How the fuck had he lost her?

He hadn’t started to run until after her, true; the shock of seeing her out of the car had frozen him for a few moments.  Okay, and the corn reached over his head.  And she had been right next to the field, while he had been yards away.

But, she was a concussed, underfed teenager with at least one broken bone, how the fuck had she gotten away from him?

He stared at the corn for a few more moments, then kicked at the ground and turned to the car.

Bitch was probably going to die on her own, less of a mess for him to clean up.

He just had to get as far away as possible now.

-oOo-

The numb sensation was slowly leaving her body.  Pain began to creep through her stomach.

Helena stared at the ceiling above her bed, one hand rested on her stomach.

Her flat stomach.

She felt…empty.

She was empty.

The door opened and a nurse walked in, completely engrossed by the clipboard in her hands.

“Where’s my baby?”

The nurse froze and looked at her.

“You’re awake,” the woman said.

“My baby,” Helena repeated.  “Where?  Please.”

The nurse walked to her, a damp rag in her hand.  She gently pressed the fabric against Helena’s forehead.

“Your baby’s in NICU.”

Helena let out a strangled cry.

“He’s under constant watch.  He made it through the night, though, which is really good.”

“He?”

The nurse nodded.  “He.”

“Can I see him?”

“In a little bit, but first, there are some people who want to see you.”

-oOo-

Pete stared at the couple.  He had been alone in the waiting room – Claudia had reluctantly gone home for the night, Leena had left to get a change of clothes and a shower, and his mother had gone somewhere after dropping him off – when the man and woman had just walked in.

They hadn’t said anything, but it would have been hard pressed to not know who they were.

The woman had long, dark hair and a perfectly sculpted face.  She was hunched over in a seat, her hands buried in her hair.

The man’s eyes were a deep brown, and kept darting around the room as he paced.

“Wells,” a nurse said as she walked into the room.

The man stopped pacing and the woman stood.

“How’s our daughter?” the woman asked.

“Awake.  You can come see her.”

-oOo-

Pain shot into Myka’s head.  She raised her arm to cover her face, only to freeze at the pain in her shoulder.

Every sensation in her body hit her at once.

The stabbing in her shoulder.  The searing in her head.  The cold induced numbness that took the edge off.  Her chest was heavy as she breathed.  Shivers moved through her body.

As she lay, the sun steadily rose over the tree line.  The rays warmed her, clearing the cobwebs from her mind just as the pain did.

A cough spread through her chest, then up her throat.  Her body shook from the force of the coughs.  Her head pounded with each one.

Her mind faded out as the cough continued to rack her body.

-oOo-

“They’re fucking monsters.  All of them,” Ms. Belk exclaimed as she walked into the staff room.

The other teachers looked at her in shock.  She didn’t explain, instead she just stared at the TV.  The news anchor was, yet again, giving the news that there was no news on Myka Bering.

“What happened?” Mrs. Reynolds asked.

Belk shook her head as she put her stuff on her desk.

“I passed a group and one of them was talking about his cousin’s school. A student died in a car crash, and the entire school could have the day off if they went to the funeral.”

“No,” Reynolds sighed, seeing where it was going.

“One of them said that if they get that, it would be the only good thing Myka ever did.”

They all stared at her in stunned silence.

“I should have said something, but I was…I was too shocked to do anything.”

“They have no idea how bad it is,” Mr. Browen muttered.  “I was talking with John last night.”  He shook his head and rubbed his temple.

They all watched him.  John, his son, was one of the officers on the case.

“When they searched the house…he-he said her window was nailed shut.”

-oOo-

“Mum?  Daddy?”

Helena tried to sit up, but the nurse gently pushed her back down.

“Sweetie, how are you?” her mother asked, walking to the side of her bed.

“Needa see my baby,” Helena mumbled.

“You will,” her mother responded, brushing some hair off of Helena’s forehead.  She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the skin she had just uncovered.  “We’ve missed you, love.”

Helena didn’t reply.  The false tone rang in her ears.

-oOo-

“Are they going to take her back to England?”  Jane asked questioned once the Wells’ had vanished into Helena’s room.

“I’m not sure,” Mrs. Fredric answered.  “Although it would be entirely within their rights to do so.”

“I won’t apologize for not caring about the rights of people who sent their pregnant daughter to another country to keep up appearances.”

“They might keep her here for the same reason.”

“If they do, I want her to move in with me.”

Mrs. Fredric raised an eyebrow.

“It was one thing having her live with Leena while pregnant, but she will need more support with a baby, especially one born so early.”

Mrs. Fredric nodded.  “I do believe that can be arranged.”

“Good.”

-oOo-

(left…right…left…right…)

Her ankle folded.

She felt the sensation of it rolling beneath her weight but felt no pain.

(right…left…right…)

She blinked rapidly.

(my bologna has a first name)

Her body was numb.

(it’s oscar)

Her mind was strained.

She stopped and turned around.

She couldn’t remember waking up again.

(if she fell asleep now – and woke up exactly when her alarm went off – she would have seven hours and eighteen minutes of sleep)

She couldn’t remember when she had started to walk.

-oOo-

Helena choked back sobs as she ran her finger tips down the plastic barrier between her and her son.

“My precious Christopher,” she whispered.  “I’m so sorry.”

She brushed away her tears.  He was so small.  The tubes that surrounded him only made him seem smaller.  His diaper reached his armpits.  She could hold him with one hand, had she been allowed to hold him.  As it was, he was trapped in the incubator; the plastic keeping her from so much as touching him.

She screwed her eyes shut, but the image was burnt into her mind.

“I’m so sorry.”

-oOo-

Claudia paced back and forth across her room.  Between what had happened with Leena and Emma's constant nagging, she had given in and gone home for the night.  Five hours later, she was just anxiously waiting for Emma to take her back to the hospital.

She stopped pacing at the knock on her door.  She turned to see Steve hovering in the doorway.

"You ready?" he asked.

She glared at him.

"My mom's almost ready," he continued.  "She said to go to the front door."

She nodded and followed him through the house.  Her mind was racing as they walked.

"I kissed Leena," she blurted out.

He turned and stared at her with wide eyes.  "What?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall.  "In the waiting room yesterday.  I just, kissed her."  She shrugged.  "And she kissed me back."

"Woah."  He rubbed the back of his neck.  "So, are you two together now?"

She shook her head.  "She says the age difference is too big right now."

"It kinda is."

She glared at him again.

He raised his hands in surrender.  She slumped further down.

“I’m a shit friend,” she murmured.  “Myka goes missing and I make a move on Leena.”

-oOo-

Jane ran a hand down the doorframe.  She sighed and slumped against the wood, her eyes closing.

She had barely been in the room since she and Pete had moved in.  She had never thought that it would be used for anything more than a spare room full of boxes.

She opened her eyes, taking in the bland room.

She would have to get Pete to help her clear out the room.  Hopefully bring in another bed.

Baby stuff.  They will need baby stuff.

She sighed again and pushed herself up.  Before any of that, however, Myka had to be found, and Helena had to stay.

She picked up the bag of Pete’s clothes and turned away from the room.  She had to get back to the hospital.

-oOo-

“Helena, you have to understand, we did all of this for you.”

"I'm still not going with you," Helena huffed.  Her body hurt, her mind was blurred, her heart ached, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was her mother.

"Of course you are, darling," her mother replied.  "We will help you care for the baby."

"His name is Christopher, Mother, not _the baby_ " Helena muttered.  "And I have people here who will help me."

"They aren't your family, Helena."

"They didn't send me away when I became pregnant.  In fact, they accepted me despite it."

Her mother sighed and rubbed her temple.

"We sent you here for your own good, love.  You know how vicious people can be.  They would have destroyed you."

"No, they would have destroyed you. Your precious reputation, always more important than the well-being off your children."

"You are coming back with us, and that's final."

"Sarah," Helena's father cut in.  "Perhaps it is for the best that we let her stay here."

She spun on him.  “What?  Joseph, how could even suggest that?”

He placed his hands on her shoulders.  “Because it might just be what’s best for her right now.”

Sarah’s face darkened.

“Besides, Christopher will hardly be in any condition to travel to England soon.  We can decide if it will happen when he is well enough to make the journey.”

Sarah huffed, then nodded and left the room.  Joseph turned to Helena.  He stepped to her side.

“Daddy,” she started, but he cut her off by leaning down and kissing her forehead.

“Just don’t raise him to be a Yank,” he murmured.

She nodded through her laugh and wrapped an arm around him, hugging him the best that she could.

-oOo-

She pushed into the store (no money…no candy)

She moved through the store (dorito…banana…chips ahoy…)  She reached the pay phones in the back of the store, she pressed the return coin button a few times (ping…ping…ping…), then checked the slot.  Empty (nope…nada…zilch…)

She sighed and screwed her eyes shut.  Her head pounded and her body weakened (white noise makes wonderful background music)  Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the phone box to keep herself from falling.

She focused on her breathing.  Just a little further.

Just a little further.

(stayin’ alive…stayin’ alive…ah-ah-ah-yeah)

The vertigo passed after a few moments.  She slowly relaxed and turned to the counter (count…one-two-three…sesame street)  The boy glanced up a few times as she walked over.

“Hav’ a phone I c’n use?” she asked, focusing on keeping her voice from slurring.

The kid raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the payphone (asshole)

“No money,” she murmured (no candy)

She focused on his lips, doing her best to understand him.  All she could make out, however, was ‘can’t’.

“Please, needa call ma’mom.”  She spoke slowly, focusing to make sure every word came out correctly.  “Prob’ly real worried.”

She didn’t catch any of what he said, but did catch the way he looked her up and down (look…don’t touch)

She recoiled and left.  Her stomach was tight and tears threatened to spill over as she moved away from the store.

(run away…run away and never come back…)

She didn’t know how far she had gotten, but she only stopped when nausea forced her to double over.

(ready…aim…fire…)

-oOo-

The nurse turned the TV off as the news, once again, turned to Myka Bering.  She didn’t need a reminder that the girl was missing.

All she had to do for that was look in the waiting room.

-oOo-

Zach blankly stared at his phone as he waited for a taxi.

His eyes burned from the red-eye flight and his stomach growled every few minutes.  His focus, however, was getting to Jefferson.  He could eat and sleep there.

-oOo-

Another cough spread through her chest (always found her)  It scrapped against her throat as it moved up. She pressed a hand to her chest as she stopped walking.  She doubled over, then collapsed to the ground (lips create words)

When the cough finally passed, her chest felt heavy, her head light (B-A-N-A-N-A-S)  She pulled herself into a fetal position.

She didn't know how much time had passed when something touched her shoulder.  She let out a cry and pushed herself backwards (along came a spider) away from whatever it was.  She whimpered at the pain that spread through her body at the sharp movement (tap dance on the dashboard)

When the pain subsided enough, she pushed herself up (only one in class to get it) and squinted to find an older woman crouched next to her.  The woman was watching her closely, with concerned eyes.

The woman's mouth moved (hairstreak butterfly) but Myka couldn't focus enough to figure out what she was saying.  The woman tried again but Myka just shook her head.

"C’n' hear," she slurred.

The woman's eyes went wide.  She called something (count – seven…ate…nine) over her shoulder.  Myka glanced over to see a man (hanery silt loam) standing by a car.

"Phone," Myka murmured.

The woman's eyes scrunched for a moment, then she (‘braska) nodded.  She pulled out a cellphone, unlocked it, and handed it to Myka.

Myka blinked a few times as she tried to keep her focus on the numbers.  She searched her mind (i see you) for the number she knew.  She knew it (nope…nada…zilch) she knew she knew it.

Her fingers moved along the keys absently (rain in topeka)  She blinked in surprise when she realized that she had typed the number.  She raised the phone to her ear (no ear-no voice-no ear) then pulled it away and stared at it.

"C’n' hear," she mumbled again.

The woman gently took the phone from her (seven hours and fifteen minutes of sleep) and raised it to her own ear.

"Is Pete," Myka told her.

The woman nodded (stained like that) and began to speak after a few moments.  Myka watched her, then snatched (chips ahoy) the phone back.

"Pete?  Pete is me.  Scared, Pete.  I can't...can't hear, Pete.  Pete, I...I-I don't know.  Pete, help me, please, Pete."

She didn't notice the woman gently taking the phone from her.  She just curled back up, the litany continuing to fall from her lips.

(scared…pete…help…can’t hear…scared…so much pain…pete…help…so scared)


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have been waiting to read straight through the intense stuff, I would suggest either this or the next chapter to be the one you come back with. It will still be intense, but much less so, and, really, this entire story is intense.

They all jumped when Pete’s phone went off.

He scrambled to pull his phone out his pocket.  He didn’t even look at the number before answering.

“Hello?”

“Is this Pete?” a woman asked.

“Yes.”

“I don’t really know how to say this, but I think I…”

She was cut off and there was movement on her end of the line.

“Pete?”

“Myka.”  He pressed the phone harder against his ear.  Everyone in the room froze.

“Pete, is me.”

He swallowed thickly at how bad she sounded.  Her words slurred together.  Her voice was dull.

“Scared, Pete.”

“I know,” he choked out.  “But we’ll…”

“I can't...can't hear, Pete.”

He cut off with a strangled cry.  What had he done to her?

“Pete, I...I-I don't know.  Pete, help me, please, Pete."

“I will, Myka.  I promise.”

Myka’s mumbles vanished and the woman’s voice returned.

“Hello?”

“Where is she?  What did he do to her?”

He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.  He looked up to his mother.  She gestured to the phone, which he quickly handed over.

Claudia and Tracy jumped to his side, but he ignored them and just stared at his mom.  Her words, however, blurred in his head.  The world around him began to fade.

Someone had found Myka.

He wavered on his feet slightly, then felt hands guiding him to a chair.

-oOo-

By the time the ambulance had arrived, Selma had lifted the girl’s head into her lap.  Her hand gently brushed through limp curls and over cool skin.

She watched numbly as paramedics pulled her from the girl, while others began to treat her.

“You and your wife will have to come to the station,” she distantly heard a trooper say to Ralph.  “We have some questions for you.”

“Who is she?” Ralph asked.

Selma turned to them.  The trooper was young and nervous.  He had probably never handled anything more than petty theft.

“We believe her name is Myka Bering.  She’s been missing for three days.”

Selma turned to the retreating ambulance, tears blurring the image of it as it sped away.

-oOo-

The troopers were frantic.  Only one of them even seemed to remember that she was there.

She didn’t fully understand what was going on, just that they had found Myka.

In Kansas.

The trooper gestured at her to follow him.  She quickly did so, through the station, then into the parking lot.

Jeannie paused when she noticed the man standing by a nearby car.  Zach.

He awkwardly raised a hand.

She nodded and went to approach him, but stopped when the trooper opened a door to his car.

She would talk to him later, after she brought Myka back.

-oOo-

“Goodnight stars.  Goodnight air.  Goodnight noises everywhere.”

Helena closed the book.  She stared at the picture on the back cover for a moment before looking back up at Christopher.

She could hear the nurse shifting behind the door, but ignored her.  She knew her visiting time was almost up.  Her heart clenched at the thought of leaving Christopher so soon.

“I’ll be back when they first let me,” she told her son.  “I will try to bring another book.  I don’t want you to tire of _Goodnight Moon_ just yet.”

She stuck the book between her leg and the arm of the wheelchair, then pressed her hand against the plastic of the incubator.  She watched his chest rise and fall in the rhythm the machines had created for him.  Her mouth quirked up slightly as his fingers folded.

Light footsteps told her that her time was up.  The nurse was walking over to wheel her back to her room.  Where she would do nothing but worry.

She pressed her hand harder against the plastic and screwed her eyes shut.

“I love you, Christopher.”

-oOo-

Pete was pacing.

Everyone else watched him as he crossed the room again and again.

“Pete, I swear, if you don’t stop,” Claudia growled after nearly an hour.

Pete froze and turned to her.

“You swear what?” he snapped.

She stood.  “You don’t want to find out.”

“Hey,” Leena said, standing as well and moving between them.  “Calm down, guys.”

They glared at each other over her shoulder.

“Myka has been found,” Leena reminded him.

“That means he can’t hurt her any further,” Pete said.  “But you didn’t hear her on the phone.”  He ran a hand through his hair and slumped into a chair.  “She could barely talk, and…god, she said she couldn’t hear anything.”

“She’s at a hospital now,” Leena continued.

“Not everybody who makes it to the hospital makes it out,” Pete murmured.

Claudia’s face hardened.  Leena looked back and forth between the two.  She sat back down and focused.

Both of their aura’s were dark.

-oOo-

Jane stared out the window of the plane as it started to descend.  Her grip on her armrest loosened slightly.

Once they landed, it was a thirty minute drive to the hospital, according to the FBI agent who had met them at the airport in Featherhead.

“I won’t fight you.”

Jane looked over at the words.

Jeannie had stayed silent the entire flight until that point.  She was hunched over in her seat, her hands clenched around each other.  She looked up at Jane after a few moments.

“I know you’re going to try and get custody over Myka, and I’m…” she took a deep breath.  “I’m not going to fight you.  In fact, I’ll sign whatever you need me to.”

“I don’t want to take her from you, I just…”

“Just want her safe,” Jeannie cut her off.  “And she will be safest with you.”

-oOo-

“Anne!”

Ms. Belk jumped, dropping the piece of chalk as she spun to the door.

Mrs. Reynolds was watching her with wide eyes.

“What?”

“They found her.”

The entire class silenced.

“The news didn’t say much, but they found her.”

Belk took a step to the door, then stopped and turned to her class.

“I will be back soon.  I expect you to all behave while I’m gone,” she told them before leaving and following Reynolds to the teacher’s lounge, where everyone was crowded around the TV.

The women silently joined the crowd.

-oOo-

Warren pulled his cap down and raised his jacket collar before stepping out of the car.

He was pretty sure he was far enough away from Jefferson that nobody would recognize him, even from the news, but he didn’t want to risk it.

He kept his head low as he walked to the motel entrance.  His nose wrinkled in disgust at the faint scent of urine that wafted in the air.

Not even a week ago he would have never even been in this part of a town, now he was forced to spend the night in the seediest dump he had ever seen.

Fucking bitch’s fault.

-oOo-

Evan slumped down in the nurses break room.  He took his glasses off and ran a hand through his hair.

“How is she?”

He looked up at the woman, another nurse, who had just walked in.  He smiled weakly at her then shook his head slightly.

“Still out,” he murmured.  “They’ve gotten her temperature up, but are now worried about fever setting in.”

“I heard some of the cops talking.  There’re some people coming for her.”

He nodded.  “Good.”

-oOo-

Pete stared at his phone.  Every few moments he lit it up, only to be disappointed.  His mother had said she would call right after she saw Myka but he had yet to get so much as a text from her since _Getting on the airplane now_ hours ago.

He supposed she could still be on the plane, but the logic didn’t mean much to him at the moment.  Actually, it rarely ever did, but at the moment especially.

Someone sat in the chair next to him.  He ignored them at first, but looked up when they leaned onto him.

Whatever he was going to say died on his tongue when he saw Claudia.  She pulled her feet onto the chair and rested her head on his shoulder.

Without saying a word, he wrapped his arm around her, their argument earlier forgotten.

-oOo-

Jeannie had seen her daughter in the hospital more times than she had ever cared to count.  She had seen Myka in casts, with stitches, bandaged and bruised.

She had never grown used to it.

Still, she was sure the sight before her would still hurt.

Myka was gaunt.  Her skin was pale.  Her hair was limp.  When Jeannie wrapped her fingers around Myka’s wrist, the pulse she felt was weak.

She struggled to hold her tears back as she scooted her chair closer to the bed.  She gently cupped Myka’s face, her thumb rubbing her cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.  “I should have been a better mother.  I guess I never really was a mother at all, huh?”

She huffed out a breath and shook her head lightly.

“I guess it’s a good thing I won’t legally be your mother anymore.”

She let out a sob, then leant forward to press a kiss to Myka’s forehead.

“She’ll take better care of you than I ever could.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have been waiting to read straight through the intense stuff and didn’t ump back in after the last chapter, it’s pretty much tapered off now.

Leena knocked lightly on Helena’s door frame.  Helena looked up, the corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile.

“Hey,” Leena said.  “Can I come in?”

Helena nodded.

They fell into silence as Leena sat down.  Leena stared into her lap.  Helena moved one arm beneath her head and sighed.

“The baby?” Leena softly pushed.

“NICU,” Helena muttered.  She wrapped her other arm around her stomach and stared at it.

Leena leaned forward, setting her hand on Helena’s arm.

“They aren’t sure if he will make it,” Helena continued.  She looked up at Leena and shook her head.  “He’s so small.”

Leena squeezed Helena’s arm gently.  “If he’s anything like his mother, he’s strong enough to pull through.”

Helena made a comment under her breath about ‘if he took after his father’ but shook her head.

“Has there been any news about Myka?”  She looked up at Leena in apprehension.

Leena nodded and smiled slightly.  “They found her.  She’s in a hospital in Kansas.”

Helena let out a relieved breath, then tensed again.  “Is she…?  Do you know…?”

“We don’t.  Pete’s mom called to let us know that she’s at the hospital, but hadn’t seen Myka yet.”

Helena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “But they found her.”

Leena nodded.  “They found her.”

-oOo-

Jane glanced at Jeannie, who was sitting in a chair outside of Myka’s room.  The woman’s face was blank as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jane said nothing as she passed her.  She couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad for the woman.

Not with the way her heart clenched at the sight of Myka in the bed.

There was a bandage on the side of her head, the hair in that area shaven.  Her shoulder and ankle bulged beneath the covers, evidence of being wrapped.  Every part of her skin that wasn’t bruised was snow white.  Her lips were indistinguishable from the skin around them.  The machines around her beeped steadily.

Taking a deep breath, Jane moved to the side of Myka’s bed.  She pulled a chair over from the wall and all but collapsed in it.  She leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs as she pressed her face into her hands.

She looked up after a few moments.

“You probably can’t hear me,” she started.  “Pete said you couldn’t hear him on the phone, and the lady who found you said you couldn’t hear anything.”  She sighed.  “I’m going to talk anyway.  I can’t stand silent hospital rooms.  Besides, maybe…maybe they’re wrong and you can hear me.”

-oOo-

His thumbs tapped the leather of the steering wheel.  Beads of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.  No matter how much he adjusted, his clothes would not sit right against his skin.

He glanced at the rear-view mirror.

There was a black four-door three cars back in the other lane.  Warren eyed it wearily.  It had been following him for at least an hour and a half.  He was sure of it.

He looked forward, just managing to catch what the exit sign said.  He checked the car again and made a quick decision.

He merged into the other lane and took the exit.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened as the car followed him up the exit.

-oOo-

Helena lifted her hospital gown and hands hovered over the stitches on her stomach.  She flattened her hands and pressed them to her skin on either side of the wound.  She looked up and stared at herself in the mirror.

Her skin was pale.  Her hair was limp and oily.  Dark circles hung beneath her eyes.

Her eyes moved from her face to her stomach.

The puckered line was rough beneath her fingers.  A few of the stitches pulled as she ran her finger over them.

A knocking from the other room pulled her attention from the mirror.  She let her hospital gown drop and sighed.

She walked out of her bathroom to see Doctor Parst standing in the doorway.  She walked to her bed and climbed onto it.

“How are you feeling?” the woman asked.

Helena shrugged.

Parst smirked slightly.  “How is the pain?”

“Better, I suppose.”

“Good.  Can you lie down?  I need to check your stitches.”

Helena did as asked then watched as Parst inspected her wound.

“You’re healing well,” she commented.  “As long as there are no further complications, we should be able to release you in a few days.”

Helena sat up as her chest tightened.  “Release?”

She wrapped an arm around her stomach.

“This is good, Helena,” Pabst continued, putting a reassuring hand on Helena’s shoulder.  “There could have been major complications.”

“I understand,” Helena mumbled.  “It’s just…Christopher.  I’ll be so far from him.”

Parst gave her a sympathetic look.

“You will be able to come to see Christopher whenever you want,” she said.  “And will be able to stay as long as you want.”

Helena nodded.

“And that’s still in a few days.  Alright?”

Helena nodded again.  “Alright.”

-oOo-

Zach paced back and forth across his motel room.  His wife’s voice crackled through the air from where his phone sat.

“So you show up, and she leaves?” Meg fumed.

“She had to go,” Zach sighed.  “They found Myka.  Would you stay put if you were in that position?”

She was silent for a few moments, then sighed.  “No, I would do exactly what she did.”

He stopped pacing and sat on the bed.  The phone shifted slightly as his weight dipped the mattress.  He picked it up, took it off of speaker and held it to his ear.

“But why did she have to call you out there?” Meg continued.  “I don’t understand.”

“She’s scared,” he sighed.  “Jeannie, I mean.  I think she just wanted someone.”

“Someone to what?”

“I don’t know.”

He could hear her start to work up.

“Meg, as soon as Jeannie and Myka return to South Dakota, I will talk to her.  Until then, all I can do is wait.”

She sighed again.  “Fine.”

“Tell the twins I love them and will see them soon.”

“What should I tell them when they ask where you are?”

“I don’t know…something for work, maybe?”

“I’ll think of something.”

Zach rubbed the back of his neck.

“We will figure this all out,” he told her.  “I promise.”

“I know,” she mumbled.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

-oOo-

Helena stared at the ceiling.  One arm was beneath her head as the other wrapped around her stomach.

They were going to send her away from Christopher.

She took a deep breath.

They were not sending her away.  They were releasing her.  She was healthy enough to not need to be in the hospital.

“I’ve talked to your mother.”

Helena looked up in surprise.  She had been too focused on her thoughts to notice her father in the doorway.

He walked to the bed and sat in the chair.

“She has accepted that it might be best for you to remain here.”

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Under what torture did she say that?” she snarked.

He sighed.  “Helena.”

“And for that matter, what sparked your change of heart?”

“Helena, your mother and I have been unfair these past few years.  These last few months with just her and myself at home have shown me as much.”

She didn’t reply.

“You’re nearly fully grown, without need of parents, yet we have barely been parents for some time now.”

“Ever since Charles…” she trailed off at the way he flinched.  “You still haven’t accepted him, have you?”

“It isn’t exactly easy to accept.”

She scoffed.

“This isn’t what I came to discuss,” Joseph muttered, rubbing his temple.  “Your mother and I decided that as long as you have someplace to stay where an adult can help care for Christopher, you may stay here.”

“Thank you so much for deciding what I may and may not do with my life and my child.”

“Helena…”  He sighed.  “You are still our child.  Until you turn eighteen we do get to decide.”

“Yes, that has worked out so well in the past.”

“If you’re talking about Charles again…”

“Of course I’m talking about Charles again.”

He stood and started to pace.

“Could you focus for just a minute?”

She took a deep breath.

“They may release me in a few days.”

It wasn’t the words that made him stop and turn to her, it was the way her voice choked on them.

“I don’t want to leave Christopher,” she admitted.  “I can’t leave Christopher.”

He sat back down.  “You won’t.  You will stay at the hotel with your mother and me until we leave.  We will bring you to visit Christopher every day.”

-oOo-

Jane listened carefully as the doctor talked to Jeannie.  Despite the agreement between the women, the hospital was unable to talk directly the Jane about how Myka was doing.

They managed to work around it by talking to Jeannie in Jane’s presence.

“When she first came in her stats – temperature, heartbeat, everything – were low, almost dangerously so.  We have managed to bring them all up, but there is still risk they may drop again.  She has a few fractured ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken ankle.  Her shoulder and ankle are wrapped up, but there’s not much we can do for her ribs.  She also had a laceration on the side of her head that we had to stitch.”

Jeannie nodded.  Jane’s heart clenched at the thought of Myka walking down the side of a road like that.

“We are more concerned, however, about the concussion and hearing damage she has sustained.”

“Hearing damage?” Jeannie questioned.

The doctor nodded.  “Yes.  She must have hit her head at some point.  Both of her ear drums have burst and there is a fracture in her skull behind one ear.”

Neither woman knew how to react.

“And that’s just the physical damage,” the doctor quietly said.  “The psychological scars will most likely be even worse.”

-oOo-

Her limbs wouldn’t move.  Her mind was blurred.  Her body hurt.  Everything around her was silent. 

She blinked her eyes open.  The dim light illuminated a figure moving next to her bed.

Her chest grew heavy.  Her throat constricted.  Her muscles tensed.

She struggled to breathe as she pushed herself away from him.

He jerked towards her, arm outstretched.

She tried to scream, tried to call out, to make any noise, but her throat was too tight, her chest too heavy.

She was falling.

-oOo-

Warren raised his collar as he walked from the motel office to his room.

He had lost the black car after an hour of aimlessly driving through the town he had exited to.  A few hours and one state line later, he just wanted to pass out.

He unlocked his door and pushed inside.  He eyed the parking lot before closing the door.

“Hello, Mr. Bering.”

He yelped and spun around.

A blond woman was sitting at the desk.  Her body was turned to the door.  The soft smile made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

She stood and stepped towards him.

“My employer has a proposition for you.”


	32. Chapter 32

Evan jumped into action as the girl fell.  He raced around the bed, calling for help as he went.

He crouched by her head, checking her pulse – too fast – and stabilizing her head.

Everything after moved in a blur.

More staff rushed in.

They untangled the cords around her.

They got her onto a board, then onto the bed.

Evan was pulled out of the room as they reconnected her to the machines.

“What the hell happened?”

He shook his head.  “I don’t know.”

-oOo-

“We believe it was a panic attack.”

Jeannie furrowed her brows.  “Panic attack?”

“When she woke, a male nurse was checking her stats.”

“She thought it was _him_ ,” Jane sighed.

The doctor nodded.  “That’s what we think happened.”

Jane shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.

“She is currently getting a CAT Scan, to see if the fall caused any damage to her brain.”

“God,” Jeannie murmured, pressing her hand to her heart and slumping against the wall.

“From now on, every doctor and nurse who attends to her will be female.  We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

-oOo-

Helena wearily watched Pete as he stood just outside her doorway.

His focus was grabbed by something on the wall and a grin took over his face.

“Your middle initial is ‘G’?” he asked as he walked into her room.

“Did you look at my file?”

He waved his hand dismissively.  “Just the front, with your name and what-not.”

She watched him as he walked to the chair.  She could see the turmoil just beneath his mask.

“So,” he drawled.  “Your initials are HG?”

She nodded.  The lighthearted conversation was clearly what he needed to cope.

“So, you’re HG Wells?”

The corners of her mouth quirked up at that.

“Indeed I am.”

“That’s pretty cool.”

“I suppose cool is one way to look at it.”

“What?  Of course it’s cool.”

“It simply lost its charm quite a few years ago.”

He shrugged.  “I guess that could happen.”

“I assure you, it did.”

“I bet Myka loves it, though,” he absently commented, then closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck.

“She doesn’t know,” Helena said.

“She will love it, then.”

She nodded.  “Have you heard anything of her condition?”

He nodded.

“And?”

“Not the best.”

“Yes, I had assumed that much.”

His shoulders slumped.  “She hadn’t woken when my mom called, and my mom only gave me the basics.”

“Peter, please.”

“All I know for sure is that it isn’t good and…something he did damaged her hearing.”

“Her hearing?”

“She can’t hear a thing.”

Helena closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

“She’s safe,” she muttered.  “That’s the important part right now.”

-oOo-

The light on the laptop screen strained his eyes.  He didn’t know how, though, all he could see was what he believed to be a black curtain.

“So, if I agree, you will help me hide from the police.”

“I have lined up a few routes you can take, and only I will even have an idea of which you choose.”  The voice was accented and male, but that was all Warren could identify about it.

“What do you want from me?”

“I may need to ask a favor of you in the future.”

“What type of favor?”

“The type that would allow you to finish your daughter off as you had planned.”

-oOo-

Tracy sat on the curb and stared at the store.

It was surreal.  The sign was flipped to ‘closed’.

At noon.

On a weekend in September.

“Tracy?”

She twisted to look over her shoulder.

“Judy,” she muttered as she turned back around.

She could feel Judy shift slightly, then sit next to her.

“I heard they found her.”

Tracy nodded.

“I feel so bad,” Judy continued.  “I treated her like shit.”

“We all did,” Tracy mumbled.

Judy sighed.  “Hey, do you think she’ll forgive me, if I apologize?”

Tracy didn’t look at her.  She just stared at the store as she stood up.

“You will never get a chance to apologize to her because I will never let you talk to her again.”

She turned and walked down the sidewalk.  She heard Judy curse at her under her breath but kept moving forward.

It didn’t surprise her that Judy had asked to make amends – to try to find a way to get rid of her guilt.  It wouldn’t surprise her if others tried the same thing.

She wouldn’t let them.  She had to protect Myka.

-oOo-

“Nothing you can say will make me feel any worse than I already do.”

Pete pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it.  He had never had the urge to reach through the phone and punch anyone before.  He brought the phone back to his ear.  Sam was still talking.

“I don’t give a fuck about how you feel,” Pete cut him off.  “I give a fuck about how you’re not here.”

“I will be in Jefferson as soon as she’s there.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“I can’t just get up there instantly.”

“It’s been days!”

“I can’t, Pete.  I just can’t.”

“You’re a coward, Sam.  A fucking coward.”

Pete hung up and tossed his phone onto the closest chair.

“I never liked him,” Claudia muttered.

-oOo-

Sam let out a rough cry and threw his phone across the room.

“Fuck!”

He couldn’t explain to Pete.

If he hadn’t left, the entire thing might have never happened.  He hadn’t been able to protect her.  He hadn’t even known she needed to be protected.

He couldn’t face that yet.  Not until he knew for sure that Myka was safe.

-oOo-

The weight on her chest seemed familiar.

She struggled to pull a breath in.  The same breath was then pushed out too fast.

Her mind went into overdrive.

She couldn’t breathe.

Her muscles tensed.

The sudden presence of a cool hand on her forehead made her both open her eyes and realize she had eyes.

The woman standing over her had a nice face and kind eyes.  The thumb rubbing her forehead soothed her enough to calm her breathing.

The woman’s mouth moved but no sound came out.

Myka blinked rapidly.  Maybe the woman hadn’t actually said anything.

Then the woman’s mouth moved again.

Myka shook her head.

Panic rose up in her again.  Her chest constricted again.

She barely noticed the woman rushing for something, but did notice the paper she held out.

The words ‘You’re safe’ were scrawled across it, large enough for her to read without her glasses.

Her gaze flicked from the paper to the woman and back.

She slowly nodded.  Her breathing settled and she soon fell asleep.

-oOo-

“So, your parents are letting you stay?”

Helena nodded.  “Until Christopher is well enough to travel, at least; and providing I find an adult to stay with.”

Leena considered the information.  “You could ask Jane.  She might be willing to let you stay with her.”

Helena grimaced.  “Perhaps.  I do not wish to inconvenience her, however.”

“I doubt she’ll see it that way.”

“She hardly knows me, Leena.”

“That won’t matter.  I’m sure she’ll help.”

Helena shrugged.

“It can’t hurt to ask,” Leena said.

“I supposed not,” Helena said with a sigh.

-oOo-

Rain pounded on the window of the motel room.  Suspicious noises were coming from the next room.  Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to.

Warren rubbed his temples as he read the paper in front of him.

He tapped his pen against the top of the desk the pulled a file closer to him.  He flicked it open and read through the first page again.

He took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.

That was the one.

-oOo-

Helena thought over what Leena had said.

She was right.  Jane would most likely be willing to allow Helena to stay with her.  The question became, however, would she allow Christopher to stay as well?

It was one thing to accept a nearly grown woman into your house, a completely different thing to accept an infant.  A premature newborn at that.

She sighed and leaned forward in her chair next to Christopher’s incubator.

“What are we going to do, love?” she mumbled.  “I have no desire to return to a life beneath my parent’s thumbs, but am not sure what other options I have.”

She watched him fist his hand, then straighten his fingers again.

“Just know that I will not leave you.  I promise.”

His fist balled up again.  She chuckled.

“Already with the fighting attitude.  We will fight our way through everything.”

She jumped when the machines besides her started to wail.

“No,” she gasped.  “Christopher.  Please.”

Her focus was only on Christopher even as the nurses and doctors rushed in and pushed her back to the corner.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fast update....for me at least....that's what happens when I don't have internet for most of a week. Anyway, my semester starts Monday, so I don't know how much time I will actually have to work on this in the upcoming days. But, I will try.

The sky visible through her window was dark.  A few stars dotted the black.  A portion of the moon shone dully in one corner.

Myka stared at it.

She wished she could see more.  She couldn’t tell what phase the moon was in.  She didn’t know what constellations she would be looking at.

Maybe she could convince Pete to teach her the constellations.

She blinked and tilted her head back up to stare at the ceiling.

She would be able to see Pete again.  She would be able to see all of them again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  She quickly opened them again, however.  Being unable to see and hear was too much for her.  It sent her heart racing.

Movement in her doorway grabbed her attention and sent her heart racing.

\--

Jeannie’s knees nearly gave out when green eyes turned to her.

“ _Myka_ ,” she choked out.

Myka just stared at her.  Her eyes, though open, were dull and drooping behind her glasses.

Jeannie stepped into the room, slowly making her way to the chair.  Myka’s eyes followed her closely.

When she reached the chair, Jeannie couldn’t sit.

She placed a hand on Myka’s forehead, only to jerk away as Myka flinched from her.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Myka turned her head away from her, her eyes focused on something across the room.  Jeannie followed her gaze.

The window.

Jeannie took in a shuddering breath and steeled herself.  She couldn’t blame Myka for the reaction.

She bent down and pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead.

Myka flinched again.  Jeannie was barely able to contain her tears as she sat.

-oOo-

Leena screwed her eyes shut as she held the sobbing girl.  She wasn’t surprised that Helena had broken down, but she had no idea what to say.

All she had been able to get out of Helena was that something had happened to Christopher.  Something bad from the way Helena’s fingers were digging into Leena’s back.

Leena just held Helena until her sobs stopped, then even longer until Helena pulled away.

Helena adjusted so she was sitting cross legged.  She stared at her lap.  Her body jumped with the hiccoughs that hit her every few moments.

“I couldn’t do anything,” she whispered.  “Nothing.  I just stood there.”

Leena slowly set her hand onto Helena’s knee.

“What happened?”

Helena shook her head.  “I don’t know.  Everything was fine…then it wasn’t.”

Leena took a deep breath.  One possibility kept rising up in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to push it down.

“Christopher?”

Helena looked up.  “The machines just went off.  I was talking to him, then something was wrong.”  She squeezed her eyes shut.  “He’s better.  The doctors said what happened is…common amongst premature babies, especially those as early as Christopher, but…

She pushed her hands into her hair and bent over.

“Hey,” Leena whispered as she rubbed Helena’s back.  “He’s better, and is obviously fighting to live.”

Helena didn’t reply.  She rolled over and pulled her knees to her chest.  She blankly stared at the wall.

“I couldn’t help him.  What sort of mother can’t help her child?”

-oOo-

Pete pressed his mashed potatoes into a crater and spooned his gravy into it.

“You gunna play with it all night, or actually eat it?” Claudia asked.  Her head was on her arms, which were folded on the table.  Her eyes were wide as she watched him play with his food.

He just shrugged.  He carved a channel into the potatoes and watched the gravy flow free.

“We should go back soon,” he mumbled.

“Emma won’t let us until after breakfast tomorrow.”

He grunted and flattened his potatoes.  “I hate being here.”

“Welcome to my world.”

He looked up and raised an eyebrow.  “I thought you like it here.”

She shrugged.  “I do.  I just don’t like being here with everything happening.  You weren’t the one forced to go home.”

His phone went off before he could respond.  He snatched it up and glanced at who it was.

“My mom,” he breathed as he answered.

Claudia bolted upright.  Her eyes were glued on Pete as he paced across the room.

“Hey, Mom.  Did something happen?  Is she okay?”

_“She woke up.”_

He froze.  “She’s awake?”

_“No, but she was.”_

“That’s good.”

_“It is.  I’ll hopefully get to see her when she wakes again.”_

“Can you call me as soon as you do?”

_“Of course.”_

\--

Jane’s stomach knotted as she hung up.

She felt bad for not telling Pete the entire truth about Myka waking up, but didn’t want to stress him out even more.

There was no reason to tell him about the panic attack.  Once Myka was well enough, she could decide if she wanted to tell him or not.

-oOo-

Tracy jumped as her phone went off, pulling her completely from her sleep.  A sharp pain ran up her neck as she straightened.  One hand rubbed her neck as the other pulled her phone from her pocket.  Blinking at the screen, she moved her feet off of the chair and answered.

“Mom?” she croaked, the hand on her neck falling.  She cleared her throat before continuing.  “Did something happen?”

“No,” Jeannie replied.  “I just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine,” she said through a yawn.  She glanced at the clock on the wall.  While technically morning, the sun probably wasn’t even up yet.

“Okay.”  Her mom took a few deep breaths.  “I called Aunt Cindy.  She’s coming up to watch you while I’m here.”

“Why?  I’m fine at the hospital.  And, you’ll be back with Myka soon, right?”

“No, sweetie.  It will be a little bit before Myka can go anywhere.  I have to stay down here with her.”

“Why can’t I join you?”

“You need to stay up there.”

“Why?”

“You just do, Tracy.  And, you need to go back to school this week.”

“What?  No!”

“Tracy.”  The word came out with a sigh.

“I can’t go back to school.  Not yet.”

Her mom sighed again.  “We’ll talk about this later.  Aunt Cindy should be there by noon.  She’s going to take you home to get clean clothes, then to a hotel.”

“I don’t want to stay with Aunt Cindy.”

“I know, but you have to.”

Tracy sat in silence for a few moments.  “Fine.”

“I have to go now.”

“Alright.  Bye, Mom.”

“I love you, Tracy.”

She blinked a few times.  “I love you, too, Mom.”

She stared at the phone.  She couldn’t remember the last time her mom had told her that she loved her.

-oOo-

Warren glanced at the window.  The morning sun barely penetrated the curtains.  He yawned as the accented voice spoke, drawing his attention back to the laptop.

“You are sure this is the one?”

Warren picked up the paper and glanced through the details again.  It wasn’t the most ideal, but it was the most preferable compared to his other options.

“Yes.”

“Alright then.  You have the instructions.  Follow them, and you will be safe.”

Warren nodded. 

“Oh, and do remember that for this to work, you must vanish.  If you attempt to reconnect with any aspect of your old life, I cannot protect you from the repercussions.”

“Trust me, I have no need to _reconnect.”_

“Perfect.”

-oOo-

Jane took a deep breath.  The doctor said she could go in to see Myka, that she should be awake.

She turned a notebook over in her hands.  She had bought it at the hospital gift shop.  It was small, just a pocket composition book, but there wasn’t a whole lot she needed to tell Myka.

Just a one very important thing.

She patted her pocket, making sure her pen was still there, then stepped into Myka’s doorway.  She ran a hand down the frame.  Myka’s door had been kept open since she had nearly had another panic attack when a nurse had opened the door, the movement startling her.

Jane stood in the doorway until Myka turned to her.

She gave a small smile as she stepped into the room.

Myka seemed to return the smile, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.

Jane sat on the edge of the chair.  She ran the backs of her fingers along Myka’s arm.

“Hey,” she said.

Myka didn’t respond.  She just watched Jane with dull eyes.

They stared at each other.  After a few moments, Jane pulled her pen from her pocket and opened the notebook.  She wrote quickly, making sure to keep it neat, and handed it over to Myka.

\--

Myka had not expected to see Jane until she went back to Jefferson.

She tried to think of why Jane would be there as the woman made her way to the seat.  She couldn’t understand why Jane was there.  Why would she travel so far?  For her?

She watched as Jane wrote something in a notebook, then held it out to her.  Without looking away from Jane, Myka took the notebook.  She looked down to read it after a few moments.

_There is something I need to tell you._

Her eyes went wide.  What had happened?  What was wrong?

Her throat tightened.  Her head pounded.  Her heart raced.

Jane must have noticed because she gently took the notebook back, smiling at her as she did, and wrote something else.

_It’s good news.  I promise._

Myka swallowed thickly and looked at Jane, who nodded.  Myka held the notebook out again, and closed her eyes as Jane wrote.  She moved her thumb against the side of the next finger to try to keep her panic down.

She was still there.  As long as she could feel something, she was still there.

Just because everything vanished when she closed her eyes did not mean she vanished.

The hand against her arm made her flinch as her eyes flew open.

She ignored the concerned look on Jane’s face as she took the notebook.

_You will be coming home with me.  I’m going to be your legal guardian._

Her fingers clenched around the notepad.  She read and reread the words multiple times but still barely believed them.

Jane seemed to sense her hesitance, and slowly pried the notepad from her hands.

After a few seconds, she handed it back to Myka.

_It’s true._

She looked at Jane.

“Really?” she whispered.  Her voice rasped against her throat and vibrated up the back of her head.

Jane smiled at her and nodded.

Myka swallowed.  She fought to keep tears from welling up.  Her chest grew heavy, but for a reason completely different than every other time it had happened recently.  The corners of her mouth tugged up.

“Thank you.”


	34. Chapter 34

Helena looked up at the nurse as she walked into the room.  The woman’s smile was large and it appeared that she was _trying_ to be sincere.

“The doctor said you can be released today,” the nurse declared.

Helena ran a hand through her hair.  “And if I have no wish to be released yet?”

The nurse grimaced.  “You’re parents have already decided that you will be leaving today.”

Helena drew in a raspy breath and shut her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” the nurse said.

“Can I at least go see Christopher before I go?”

“Of course, and you can come back whenever you want to see him.  Visiting hours don’t apply to parents.”

A retort about how her parents had clearly been following the visiting hours regardless clawed up her throat, but she swallowed it and focused on preparing to go see her son instead.

-oOo-

Myka tilted her head as she read what Jane had written.

“Ten days?” she softly asked.

Jane nodded.

“Why?”

Myka handed Jane the notebook as she asked.  Jane quickly wrote the answer and handed it back.

_They don’t want to move you until the skull fracture has healed enough for air travel._

Myka nodded slightly in understanding.

Jane took the notebook again and wrote down the next thing she needed to tell Myka.

_'When we do go back, would you be alright with sharing the room with Helena?  She needs a place to stay with Christopher.'_

Jane hadn’t expected an instant answer, but she also hadn’t expected Myka to stare at the words for so long.  It wasn’t until Myka spoke that she realized something.

“The baby?”

Jane pushed some hair out of her face and sighed before nodding.  Myka held the notebook out, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

_She went into premature labor.  Helena is okay.  Christopher gets better with every day.  They need somewhere to live.  I only have one spare bedroom, and wanted to ask if you would be alright to share before offering to help her._

Myka stared at the words.  Jane could see the doubt and fear on Myka’s face.  She took the notebook back.

_It’s not your fault._

Myka nodded, but she clearly wasn’t convinced.  She read through the last few lines again and blinked a few times as she thought.

“Okay.”

Jane raised an eyebrow.  She had a feeling she knew what Myka meant, but wanted to be absolutely sure.

“We can share.”

“Yeah?” Jane asked with a questioning nod.  Myka’s eyes flicked down to her mouth as she spoke, then she nodded back.

“Yeah.”

Jane smiled.  She reached over and pushed some loose hair on the uninjured side of Myka’s head behind her ear.

She went to take the notebook back, but stopped when her text message tone sounded.  She pulled her phone from her pocket and read the message.

\--

Myka set the notebook down and turned her head away from Jane as the woman looked at her phone.  A few moments later, Jane gently tapped her arm, making her turn back around.  She glanced between Jane and the phone as she held it out.  Slowly, she took the phone and glanced down at the screen.

It was on a message thread with Pete.  She scanned the visible texts.

_Can I talk to her?_ The last one from Pete read.

She swallowed before typing a response.  _Hey_

There were a few moments before Pete’s reply _…Myka?_

_Yeah_

She stared at the phone, waiting for the next text.  The screen went black before it came.  Jane reached over and unlocked it.  A new text appeared moments later.

_Hi Myka!  It’s Claudia.  I took Pete’s phone.  I just wanna say hi and that I’m really glad you’re okay_

She started to think of a reply, but another text popped up.

_Devil child stole my phone.  She will pay.  You’ll help me make her pay, right?_

Myka grinned as she typed out her reply.

_I don’t know.  She did steal it for me._

_Gasp…traitor!_

\--

Jane smiled as Myka laughed.  Actually laughed.

She was going to be okay.  There was a lot she was going to have to work through, but she was going to be okay.

Myka’s laugh trailed off and her smile fell as something at the door caught her attention.  Jane turned and dropped her gaze at the look on Jeannie’s face.

-oOo-

Jeannie watched as Jane gently took the phone from Myka.  She couldn’t ignore the envy that twisted her heart as Myka’s laugh echoed in her ears.  A sound she hadn’t really heard in ages.

Her mind flashed to when Myka was young, when Warren had done nothing more than ignore her.  The laughter from her daughters as they had played had never failed to warm her heart.

Jane picked up a notebook that lay next to Myka, wrote something in it, then handed it to Myka.  Whatever it said made Myka’s smile return slightly and Jeannie’s heart twisted even more.

“As we already told you,” the doctor said, pulling Jeannie’s attention away from her daughter.  “We tested her hearing earlier today, to see how extensive the damage is and how likely it is to return.”

“And?” Jeannie pushed.  She didn’t want to wait any longer to get the news.  The doctor had wanted to tell her before coming into the room, but she had insisted that Myka and Jane should be there.

“We do believe that it will return, we just don’t know to what extent.”

Jeannie glanced at the bed.  Jane was handing the notebook to Myka.  A series of emotions flicked across Myka’s face as she read what had been written.

“What do you mean by extent?” Jeannie asked after turning back to the doctor.

The woman took a breath before answering.  “Her hearing may not return completely.  We are especially concerned about her right ear, because of the skull fracture.”

“How concerned?” Jane asked.

Jeannie and the doctor both turned to the bed.  Jane was watching the doctor with wide eyes while Myka just stared at the notebook.

“Myka will most likely have to use hearing aids, at least in her right ear.”

Jeannie watched as Jane gently took the notebook from Myka and wrote the new information down.

Myka’s breath seemed to catch in her breath when she read the news.  She blinked slowly, then look at the doctor.

“But, I will hear?”

Each word was measured as Myka said it.  Her voice was rough, and her tone pleading.

The doctor held her gaze for a few moments before answering, her voice clear.

“You should.”

Myka looked uncertain – her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes wide – but she nodded.

“Okay.”

-oOo-

Jane brushed some hair off of Myka’s face, then leant down and pressed a kiss to her temple.  She pulled her phone from Myka’s slack grip before standing up.

After the doctor and Jeannie had left, Myka had reclaimed the phone and had texted Pete and Claudia until she had fallen asleep.  Her smiles hadn’t been as big as they had been before the doctor had come in.  The real world had come back to Myka with the news about her hearing.

Jane unlocked the phone to find a few texts from Pete asking Myka why she had stopped responding.  With a deep breath, Jane walked out of the room and called Pete.

“Mom?” he answered.

“Hey.  Myka fell asleep.”

“Okay.  That’s good, right?”

“It is.”

“Good.”

There were a few moments of silence.

“I have a job for you,” Jane said.

“What?”

“I need you to make sure the spare room is cleaned out and find the extra bed in the garage.”

He was silent for a few moments before replying.  “Why?”

“Myka is going to be staying with us.”

“Really?  For how long?”

“Until she decides to move out.”

She could practically hear the shock in his silence.

“I’m going to be her legal guardian,” she continued.

He was silent for a few more moments before asking a tentative question.  “She’s gunna be my sister?”

“She is.”

He laughed.  “She’s gunna be my sister.”  He cut off.  “Wait, why do I have to get the extra bed out?  There’s already one in the spare room.”

“Don’t get it out yet, just make sure you know where it is.”

“Why?”

“Helena might be staying with us as well.”

“Helena?”

“I’ll explain it all when we get back.”

“When will that be?”

“Probably another ten days.”

“Ten days?”

Jane sighed and glanced into Myka’s room.  “They want to fly her up, but she can’t fly with her injuries.”

“Oh.”  His voice dropped.

“She’s going to be alright, Pete.”

He took a deep breath, but didn’t reply.

“She’s going to be alright, Pete,” she repeated.  “Get the room ready for her, okay?”

“Okay.”

-oOo-

Wearing pants felt odd after so many days in the hospital gown.  Helena pulled at the seam on the side of the sweatpants again as she walked into the NICU.  She really wanted to wear jeans, to distance herself even further from the hospital clothing, but she wasn’t allowed until her stitches came out.

The nurse smiled at her as she stepped up to Christopher’s incubator.

“He’s doing well today,” the nurse said.  “His heart beat is steady, and he has gained two ounces over the last few days.”

Helena nodded.  “Good.”

“His chances get better with each day.”

Helena nodded again.

The nurse dipped her head, then walked to the desk on the other side of the room.

Helena pressed her hand against the plastic.

She blinked a few times, fighting back tears, before speaking.

“I’ll be back, love.  I’m well enough that they are letting me leave.  Well, making me leave is more like it.  Just know that it will not keep me from you.  I will be here as much as possible. I promise.”


	35. Chapter 35

Helena looked around her bedroom in the suite.  Disgust rolled through her.

They were a good eight kilometers from the hospital.  She had counted three hotels on the ride over.  Three hotels that would have had her closer to Christopher.

Her bloody parents had to go with the upscale hotel, instead of the one closest to their hospitalized daughter and grandson.

She tossed her bag onto the bed, then walked to the window.  She pushed the curtain to the side and stared down into the streets of Featherhead.

She had left the hospital barely an hour ago and the need to go back was already burning through her veins.

She glanced at the door that led to the sitting room of the suite.  She could hear her parents talking through the door.  She couldn’t make out their words, but their mere presence bothered her.

She walked to the bed and flopped onto it.

Her parents had been clear on the drive over when they had given her the terms.  They would take her back to see Christopher only after she had gotten a real meal and a few hours of good sleep.

She pulled one of the pillows out from under the covers and curled around it.  She didn’t know how long she had been laying there before she heard her door open.

“Look at her,” her mother whispered.  “She’s just a child.”

“Not as much as you insist,” her father replied.  “She has a child of her own, now.  It is only fair that she gets some say in what happens.”

“I know, but, Joseph, I can’t lose my baby girl.  I’ve already lost one.”

“You aren’t losing them, you’re pushing them away.  We both are.”

Heavy footsteps told Helena that her father had walked away.  A few minutes later, her mother sighed.

“I love you, Helena,” she whispered before the door closed.

-oOo-

Pete sighed as he stood in the doorway to the spare room.  He trailed his hand up the doorframe.

The room had been empty since he and his mom had moved in all those years ago.  Boxes packed during the move were still piled against the walls.

He didn’t know how it was going to feel moving them.  Some were going to the garage, but others…  he screwed his eyes shut… others he just couldn’t put out there.  He had already made room in the hall closet for them.

A door opening and voices downstairs told him that the others had arrived.  He sighed again and went to join them.

“Hey, you guys want some food before we start?” he asked as he walked down the stairs.

“Nah, we already ate,” Claudia said, gesturing between her and Steve.

“So did I,” Leena added.

Pete nodded, then gestured for them to follow him upstairs.

“So this is gunna be Myka’s room,” Claudia mumbled as they walked into the room.

“Yup,” Pete replied.

“What is it now?” Steve asked.

Pete shrugged.  “Storage room, really.”

The tone of his voice kept them from pushing.

“Alright,” Claudia said instead, her voice just too loud to be casual.  “How is this gunna work?”

“Just start moving, I guess.  Most are going into the garage, but any with a ‘J’ on them are going to the hall closet.”

“What’s in the ‘J’ boxes?” Claudia asked.

“Stuff that needs to go into the closet,” Pete evaded.

Claudia, Leena, and Steve glanced at each other, but said nothing as they all grabbed a box.

-oOo-

_A…B…C…_

Myka watched Jane’s hands and did her best to copy them.

_D…E…F…G…_

She focused on the placement of her fingers, on how far they bent.

_H…I…J…_

Jane repeated the ‘J’.  Myka copied again, making sure she got the movement right.

_K…L…M…N…O…_

She did her best to commit each letter to memory.

_P…Q…R…S…_

Her head hurt, though.  She took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts of pain away.

_T…U…V…W…_

It was going to be a while before she wasn’t in pain again.

_X…Y…Z_

-o-

Jane sighed as Myka murmured “again.”

She ran through the alphabet again.  Myka’s movements were more concise this time, more focused, but they were slow and Jane could see the pain in her face.  They had been talking with the notebook for a while before Myka had brought up a desire to learn sign language.

When Myka asked for the letters again, Jane shook her head.

“You need to sleep,” she said, signing as she did.

Myka shook her head.  “Again.”  Her hand started to move through the motions.  Correctly, Jane couldn’t help but notice.

She rested her hand on Myka’s, stilling it.

“After you sleep.”

Myka stared at her for a few moments, then relented when her eyes dropped on their own will a few times.

“Goodnight,” Jane murmured.

Myka copied the sign and settled into a sleeping position.

Jane watched her as she drifted off.

Myka’s question about sign language had caught her off guard, and Jane had admitted to knowing it before she had even thought about the question.

It had been ages since she had used sign language.  It was odd using it again.  Odd, but easy.

She sighed and left the room, nodding at the officer standing outside Myka’s door.  She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and dialed the number Pete had sent her.

It rang a few times before it was answered.

“Hello?”

“Helena?  It’s Jane, Pete’s mom.”

-oOo-

“I can’t stay here much longer,” Zach sighed over the phone.  “I have a job and a family back home.”

“I know,” Jeannie murmured.  She glanced at Myka’s room down the hall.  Jane was standing outside the door, also on her phone.  Myka must have fallen asleep.  “I’m sorry, for taking you from them.”

She heard Zach’s heavy breath before he spoke.

“I gave some samples, for the test.  My lawyer was there and all the paperwork is filled out.  Just let me know the results when they come in.  If she is my daughter, we’ll figure it out from there.”

She rubbed the back of her neck.  “You…You don’t have to.”  She wrapped her free arm tightly around her waist.  “I shouldn’t have called, or told you the way I did.  If you just want to forget about it, I won’t hold it against you.”

He sighed again.  “Jeannie, if she is my daughter, I want to know.  I need to know.  And, then…I won’t be able to just forget about her.  That’s probably one of the last things she needs right now.”

“Of course.  I shouldn’t of…”  She rubbed her temple.  “We should be back in just over a week.  So, the test…”

“It’ll be about a month, at least.”

“Yeah.”

A few moments of silence passed between them.

“I guess I’ll hear from you then,” Zach finally said.

“Yeah.”

There were a few more awkward moments before Zach hung up.

Jeannie pulled the phone away from her ear, then pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and screwed her eyes shut.  She breathed deeply, in through her nose and out through her mouth.

She opened her eyes and brought her hand down to look at her phone.  She still had to check in on Tracy for the day.

-oOo-

Leena set the box down on an empty shelf in the back of the closet.  She took a deep breath and a moments rest.  They were nearly done.  There were just a few boxes left, then they had to bring in a bed frame.

She turned, ready to get the next box, but stopped.

Claudia was frozen in the closet door, her eyes wide.  She was trying to make a point of keeping her gaze off of Leena, but was

Leena couldn’t help but smile and duck her head to hide her blush.  She had taken her shirt off not long ago, leaving her in just a tank-top.

“My face is up here,” she chuckled as she stepped towards Claudia.

Claudia blushed bright red and gapped for words.

Leena grimaced.

“I’m sorry,” she said.  “That was…”

She was cut off as Claudia stepped up to her and reached up to kiss her.  Her eyes shut for a moment before she understood what was happening.

She gently pushed Claudia away.  The girl’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then the realization hit her suddenly.

“Crap.”  She stared at Leena with wide eyes.  “Shit, fucking frak.”

Leena quirked an eyebrow up at the expletives.

“I’m so sorry,” Claudia continued.  “I didn’t think…you’re just so…and that tank…I’m gunna…”

She spun around and fled.

Leena started to follow her, but was stopped by Steve stepping into her path.

“Did you just kiss her?”

She blinked a few times, not sure how to answer.

“You can’t fuck with her like that.”

The malice in his voice shocked her more than his word choice did.

“She told me about you two,” he pushed on.  “You can’t push her away, then pull her back in.”

“I didn’t kiss her,” she cut in.

His eyes narrowed for a moment.  He tilted his head slightly.

“She kissed me,” she continued.  “Then, when I stopped it, she ran.”

Steve deflated a bit.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.  “I didn’t mean…”

“It’s alright,” she cut him off.  “I understand.”  She sighed.  “I should go talk to her.”

“Maybe I should, instead.”

She took a deep breath and nodded.  “Yeah.  That’s probably better.”

-o-

“Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid.”

The litany fell easily from Claudia’s lips.  She paced back and forth across Pete’s porch.  She couldn’t believe what she had just done.

“It kinda was.”

She spun to face Steve.

“I didn’t ask you.”

He shrugged.  “Any particular reason you did it?”

She couldn’t help but smile slightly at the image of Leena that came to her mind.

“That tank top,” she murmured.

Steve snorted.  “Really?”

She shrugged.

-oOo-

Tracy thumbed the page she held between her fingers.  A few moments later, she flipped the page over.

This wasn’t the type of book she usually read.  Romances.  Choice classics.  High school rom-coms.  Anything written by John Green.

Not this.

This, she had gotten when she had gone with Aunt Cindy to the apartment to get some clothes.  She had snuck into Myka’s room when nobody had been looking.  The book had been sitting on Myka’s nightstand.

Anthony Bishop, one of Myka’s favorite authors.  There was still a bookmark about two thirds of the way through.

“Do you want anything to drink, sweetie?”

Tracy looked up from the book.  Aunt Cindy was watching her with a worried look.  Tracy shook her head.

“No, thanks.”

Aunt Cindy sighed and sat next to her, the mattress barely dipping beneath her weight.

“How are you holding up?”

Tracy shrugged.  Aunt Cindy wrapped an arm and pulled Tracy against her.  Tracy rested her head on her shoulder.  She stared at the wall blankly.

“She protected me,” she whispered.  “For so many years.  She took the blame for so much.”

Aunt Cindy hummed slightly and squeezed her.

“I treated her like shit.”  She pulled away from her aunt and turned to look at her.  “I really didn’t know, but I think I did, on some level I did, and I just…I just let it happen.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Aunt Cindy told her.

Tracy shook her head.  “But…”

“No.  You are fourteen years old.  It is not your job to protect your sister.”

“She’s only fifteen and she’s been doing it for years.”

Aunt Cindy brought a hand up to cup her cheek.  “She shouldn’t have had to.”

-oOo-

Pete crammed the pizza into his mouth as he watched Claudia.  They had finished clearing out the room and were eating lunch before they set about rearranging the furniture and bringing the bed in from the garage.  When his mom had called to tell him to set the bed up, she had also mentioned that she was teaching Myka some sign language.

It had taken him all of five seconds to decide to teach some to the others as well.

He shook his head and grunted at Claudia.  She huffed and glared at him.

“Your fingers are in the wrong place,” he said after chewing the pizza enough for her to understand.  He dropped the rest of the slice onto his plate and wiped his hands on his pants.  “Like this.”

He swallowed, then did the sign again.

“You’re doing it too fast,” she grumbled.

He smirked and repeated the sign, even faster.  She threw a chip at him.

“You suck.”

“I try.”

“Really though, can you do it slower?”

“I don’t know, can I?”

“Really, Pete?” Leena cut in. “Grammar jokes?”

“What?” he questioned. “Just be grateful it wasn’t a sex joke.”

“That would have made sense from you.  Proper English, however, not really your thing,” she said with a shrug.

 “I honestly didn’t know you knew grammar well enough to make a grammar joke,” Steve spoke up without looking up from the pizza he was picking peppers off of.

Pete turned to him.  “Now you decide to get a sense of humor?”

Steve shrugged, still not looking up.

“Just do the sign again,” Claudia groaned.

Pete rolled his eyes and did as she asked.  She watched with a look of intense concentration.  When she copied him, she did it correctly.

She grinned and did it again, and again, and again.  She nodded after doing it a few more times.

“Alright, show us another,” she ordered before taking a bite of her pizza.

-oOo-

“Would you like to hold him?”

Helena looked up.  One of the nurses was watching her.  “May I?”

The nurse nodded.  Helena grinned.

“I would like to very much.”

“Alright.  Now, this is going to sound like an odd question, but would you rather keep your shirt on or not?”

Helena quirked an eyebrow up.

“The skin to skin contact often helps.  We have blankets, so you can stay decent.”

Helena thought for a moment, then nodded.

Helena let the nurse guide her into the correct position, then took off her shirt as the nurse went about getting Christopher out of his incubator.

Helena’s throat tightened as Christopher settled in her arms.  His skin was cool against hers, contrasting with the blanket the nurse draped over her.

“He’s so light,” she murmured.

“Over two pounds now,” the nurse told her.

Helena nodded.  One pound, three ounces.  That number would always be seared into her brain.

She looked down at her son.

“Hello, Christopher,” she said.  “I’m your mummy.  I’m sorry it took me so long to hold you.  We had to make sure you were well enough.”

She ran a finger along his cheek, making sure she didn’t disturb his breathing tube.  She marveled at how soft his skin was as she moved her finger down his arm.  When his fingers tried to wrap around hers, the tears that had welled up began to fall.

“We have a place to live now.  You’ll like Jane and Pete, and Myka, of course.  And you will actually get to meet them, we don’t have to go back to London.”

His face scrunched up slightly, making her laugh.

“Exactly my feelings on the matter.”

She stared at him.

“I love you, Christopher,” she whispered.  “I know you can survive this.”


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. I've been going through some shite irl. I can't guarantee when the next update will be.

The ketchup stain mocks her.  It moves freely across the fabric in a way she is not capable.  It creeps and crawls until it slides down the window.

She stops following it and locks eyes with Pete instead.

He stares at her through the glass.  His eyes are hard, his jaw set.

She tries to call out to him.

Her voice won’t come.  It catches in her throat.  It dies before it reaches her lips.

Pete shakes his head and turns away.

She tries to call out again.  A fit of coughs rumbles through her body.

She rolls over.  Blood sprays out with each cough, splattering on the back of the driver’s seat.

It takes a few minutes for the coughs to stop.  The stain on the upholstery grows.  It spreads and thickens.  She stares at it when the coughs cease.  Has it always been that big?  That dark?

She rolls back partially, one shoulder still on the seat, the other on the backrest.  She is looking out the windshield.

(They don’t turn their heads as they see me ride by)

Panic rises in her chest.

It was all a dream.  She hadn’t escaped.

(Ok – Ohhhh-kla-homa – lahoma)

-o-

“The doctors say she should be able to be transported in a week,” Jane said into the phone.

“How is she doing currently?” Mrs. Fredrick asked.

“Better.  The concussion is keeping her from doing much of anything, but she’s picking up sign language as quickly as I can teach her.”

“Have they said anything further on her hearing?”

“Her eardrums are healing well, but it will still be a few weeks before they heal completely.  We won’t know until then.”

A horse yell distracted Jane from what Mrs. Fredric said next.  Jane looked down the hall.

“I’ll have to call you back,” she said before hanging up.

She quickly made her way down the hallway and stepped into Myka’s room.

The girl was sitting up and hunched over.  Her arms were wrapped around her torso.  Her body was shaking.  She was breathing heavily.

Jane walked to the side of the bed and crouched down.  Up close she could hear how ragged Myka’s breathing was.

She placed a hand on Myka’s arm.  Myka flinched slightly under the touch but didn’t pull away.

“I’m sorry,” Myka mumbled.

Jane’s breath caught.  She raised her hand to Myka’s face, gently making her turn.  She waited until Myka raised her eyes to look at her before talking.

“No,” she said while shaking her head.  “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Tears welled up in Myka’s eyes.

Jane shook her head again, holding her own tears back.

She moved forward to wrap her arms around Myka.

Myka froze for a few moments, then wrapped her free arm around Jane, and pressed her face into Jane’s shirt.

-o-

Myka twisted her fingers in Jane’s shirt.  She squeezed her eyes tight, fighting back the tears.

The dream clung to her.  It clogged up her veins and congealed in her heart.

Pete’s hard look – disapproving, judging, blaming – pierced her, making the dream coat her skin.  She couldn’t shake it.  She couldn’t get rid of the fear, panic and shame that were racing through her.

Jane’s arm shifted slightly.  The dream began to drip off of Myka.  Her mind grounded.

She tightened her grip on Jane.

-oOo-

Pete held his head high as he walked down the hallway.  He could feel the stares as he went.  Not that there was any chance he could have missed them, having already gone through three classes of non-stop questions and non-discreet glances.

His heart clenched.

Myka had gone through similar walks multiple times in the last year.

Similar, but worse.

Everyone now was curious.  Every time it had happened to Myka, they had all been malicious.

“Hey, Pete!”

He turned to see some of the guys from the football team.  He forced a smile as they walked up.

“It’s good to see you back,” said Ralph, a senior player who seemed to have taken Kurt Smoller’s role as leader.

Pete nodded, stepping away.  “Yeah.”

Ralph walked closer and draped his arm over Pete’s shoulders.  He steered Pete back to the group.

“So, spill Lattimer,” Ralph ordered.

“Spill what?” Pete asked, moving out from under Ralph’s arm.

“C’mon, you’ve gotta know everything that happened,” Scott answered.

“About your friend,” Donny picked up.  “Myka Bering.”

Pete pushed away from them.  “I’m not telling you guys anything.”

“Why not?” Ralph demanded.

“Because you don’t need to know.”  He turned around and walked away from them.  “It’s her business.”

He was about halfway down the hall when Ralph’s arm landed on his shoulders again.  He shrugged it off, but Ralph continued to walk next to him.

“Listen, Lattimer,” he sighed.  “I gotta respect your loyalty to this girl.  You may not have picked the best girl, but you seem to really care about her.”

Pete’s fists clenched.  He pushed down the urge to deck Ralph.

“Anyway, Scott’s parents are out of town this weekend, so he’s having a party Friday night.  You wanna come?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

Ralph stopped, grabbing Pete’s arm to make him stop as well.

“You’re losing everything, Pete, siding with this girl.  You’ve already quit football, you’re hanging with a bunch of losers at lunch, you haven’t been to any parties lately.  I don’t know if it’s cause of her or not, but, you’re slipping.  You don’t have to though.  Just stop by if you change your mind.”

Pete stared at Ralph’s back as he walked away and resisted the urge to flip him off.

-oOo-

The NICU was quiet.  The only noise other than Helena’s voice was the slight creaking of the wooden rocking chair she sat it.

“Hush a bye, baby.  In the tree tops, when the wind blows the cradle will rock.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper as it rose and fell with the tune

Christopher moved in her arms, stretching a leg out.  His skin was cool against hers, something the nurses assured her would get better as he grew and his heart became better at circulating his blood.

“When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, memorizing the feeling of him in her arms.  His head, heavier than the rest of his body, fit easily in the crook of her elbow.

When she opened her eyes, another pair, dark and unseeing, was looking up at her.

“And down will come baby, cradle and all.”

She grinned, tears welling up.  The nurses had said he should open his eyes soon.  He wouldn’t actually be able to see anything for some time, and it would be even longer before he would process what he was seeing.

She wasn’t thinking of that, however, as she looked down in her son’s eyes for the first time.

“Hello, love,” she whispered.

-oOo-

Leena smiled softly as she stepped into the room.

It felt odd to be back.  She had spent longer periods of time away, but only for vacations, not for anything like what had happened.

“It’s weird being back,” Pete’s said as he stepped up next to her.

She nodded without looking at him.

They walked to the armchairs.  She set her bag on the floor and sat.  Pete dropped his bag and lay across the chair, his legs hanging over one of them arms.

“How was your day?” she asked him.

He shrugged.  “Everyone wanted to know what happened to Myka.”  He sighed, turning his head to look at her.  Anger flashed across his face.  “Not how she is, just what happened.”

“Kids at this school suck,” Claudia said as she flopped into a chair.  Steve sat in the chair next to her.

“Seriously,” Pete grumbled.

“Do you think Artie’s gunna actually have us do stuff?” Claudia asked.

“Yes.  I am.”

Leena chuckled as Artie’s gruff voice came from behind them.  They twisted around, looking over the backs of their chairs to look at him.  Pete struggled to push himself up, then perched on the arm.

“You’re going to review today,” Artie continued as he walked into the room.  “After a short run.”

Leena expected Pete to complain, even jokingly.  She expected him to fall back down and groan.

“How short of a run?” he asked instead as he stood.

-oOo-

Claudia stopped and glanced around the room as she followed Pete back in after the run.  Steve ran into her from behind.  His arms wrapped around her as they stumbled.

“Sorry,” he said, dropping his arms.  “You okay?”

She nodded and looked around the room again.

“She’s in the bookshelves,” Steve mumbled.

“What?”

He stepped away, giving her a look, jerking his head in the direction of the shelves.  Claudia looked in that direction, and bit her lip.

“Go talk to her,” he urged.  “You really should.”

He stepped around her towards the desks.  She groaned at how right he was.  She had been avoiding Leena since the kiss at Pete’s.  Steve, for reasons unknown to her, had been trying to convince her to actually talk to her instead.

Weird boy logic that, for once, made sense.

She took a deep breath before walking to the bookshelves.

-o-

Leena could hear Claudia’s shoes scuff against the floor as she walked closer.  She took a deep breath to remind herself to stay calm, no matter what Claudia wanted.

"Leena?"

She turned. Claudia was standing at the end of the aisle. Her head was down and one of her feet was on its side.  She looked absolutely adorable, a thought Leena instantly berated herself for having.  Claudia was years younger than her, and was allowed to be adorable in a little kid way, not in a kissable pout way.

"Yeah?" 

"I… I'm sorry, for what happened when we were at Pete's."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for," Leena cut in, knowing that Claudia wanted to say more.

"And,” Claudia pushed forwards, “I want to know if you would want to meet up sometime – notasadate – so we can actually talk without me kissing you and running.”

Her words ran together and she didn’t take a breath the entire sentence.  Her anxiety over the topic bled into her voice.

Leena watched her for a moment, then smiled.  “That’s probably a good idea,” she said.  She might finally be able to convince Claudia to wait a few years.

“Good, great, fantastic,” Claudia said, running a hand through her hair.  “We can figure out when and where later, right?”

“We can.”

“Perfect.”  Claudia spun around and stalked off before another word could be said.

Leena stared at where she had been standing, then laughed lightly.

She was so screwed.

-oOo-

Myka stared at her hand.  She pressed fingertip to thumb.  Over and over again.

She closed her eyes but kept the movements going.  Her world shrunk to where her skin connected.  Nothing else registered in her senses.

She stopped tapping her fingers together, and rubbed them together instead.  Her skin was soft.  Her nails scratched against her palm.  She would have to cut them soon.

She opened her eyes and stared at her hand again.

She went through the alphabet signs.  She was sure she messed the ‘Q’ up.  She would have to ask Jane when she came back.

She let her hand drop.

She was bored.

She was back under the concussions restrictions.  No reading or writing, Jane was sure to enforce that.  Even if she had been able to hear the TV, she wouldn’t have been able to watch it.  Jane was only teaching her so much sign language at a time.

She sighed and stared out the door.  She watched the nurses walk past.  She started to build a life for each one.

That one has a loving husband at home, 2.5 kids, and a cockapoo.  The next lives with four roommates, six cats, and a tank full of fish.  The one sitting at the desk, barely visible from her angle, isn’t really a nurse.  She is an international spy here to kill the very bad person five rooms down.

Someone walked up to the spy at the desk, their hood up and hands in their pockets.  They turned slightly, the new angle letting Myka see part of their face.

Her chest constricted.  Her world narrowed.

The man turned completely.

It wasn’t him.

A weight lifted from her chest as tears began to fall.

For a moment, she had been back in that car.  She had been powerless.

She adjusted her pillow behind her so she could lie down.  She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut.

It felt like she had never left that car.

-oOo-

Pete rolled his neck as he walked out of the school.  Twenty minutes running hurt more than it should.  The hour of review had hurt even more.

“Can you give me a ride to my house?” he asked Leena.

“I thought you were staying at Steve’s.”

“I am, but I have to meet HG at my place.”

“HG?” Claudia asked as she came up behind them.

“HG Wells.”

“Helena?” Leena asked.

“Nah, the actual HG Wells,” Claudia cut in.  “He was cryogenically frozen with Walt Disney and escaped.”

Leena rolled her eyes and led them to her car.

Claudia stopped after a moment.  “Are her initials really HG?”

-oOo-

Helena couldn’t help but notice the way Pete’s fist clenched around the doorknob before he opened the door.  The change put her on edge; he had been relaxed during the rest of the tour around the house.

“This will be yours and Myka’s room.”

The tone in Pete’s voice kept her from looking around the room.  Instead, she turned to him.

“Are you alright with Christopher and me staying here?” she asked.

Pete’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?  Of course I am.”

“Are you sure?  If you aren’t, I can find somewhere else to live.”

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t say I was.  Besides, I think it’d be cool having you and the Chris man here.”

Helena watched him for a moment, then smiled.  “Thank you.”

He grinned at her.  “Of course.”

“One thing, however,” she continued.  “Never call him Chris.  His name is Christopher.”

“What?  C’mon, it’s a nickname.”

“I am well aware of what it is.  I simply do not wish for my son to be referred to as Chris.”

He sighed.

“How about, I agree to call him Christopher, if I get to call you HG.”

She quirked an eyebrow up.  “Didn’t we already talk about my initials?”

“Yeah, but, it’s just so cool.”  He looked at her with a lopsided smile.

She sighed.  “If you must.”

“Awesome.  Myka’s gunna love it, B-T-dubs.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his reaction.  She stepped into the room and looked around.

Two beds were pushed against the wall opposite the door.  One had its side against the wall and the foot over the window.  The other had the headboard against the wall.  A desk, dresser, and bureau stood against the other walls.

Her smile grew slightly.  It would be a tight fit, even more so once Christopher was brought from the hospital.  Still, she couldn’t think of a place she would rather stay.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that I didn't know when I would update again, but this chapter was already almost done, and I've been feeling good. As for the next one.....I haven't really started it, and I have final papers to write and exams to study for. I'm still hoping it wont be too too long.

“No.”

It is the strongest word she had said in over two weeks.  Her voice was full, clear.  It didn’t tremble around the syllable.

“Myka,” Jane sighed.  Well, Myka assumed she sighed from the way her face moved with the word.  The movement of her lips was softer.  Her shoulders slouched for a moment.

Jane also signed as she spoke.  The letter ‘M’.

“No.”

“You need to.”  The sign for ‘need’.

Myka shook her head.  She knew she was being petulant, childlike, but she didn’t care.

They wanted to knock her out.  They were going to knock her out then move her.  She was going to be somewhere different when she woke up.

She didn’t think she would be able to handle that again.

Jane sighed again.  Her body slumped down in the chair.  She ran a hand through her hair – exactly like Pete would – then rubbed her temple.  She picked up the notebook and pen.

Myka turned her attention elsewhere as Jane wrote.  The TV in the corner of the room was crooked.  The clock on her wall was two minutes slower than the clock on the wall outside her door.  The clouds outside her window were a light grey and getting darker as the afternoon went on.

Jane lightly tapped her forearm and Myka looked back at her.  She took the offered notebook but didn’t read.  She just looked at Jane.

“Please,” she whispered.  “Please don’t make me.”

She could see the resolve on Jane’s face crack.  Jane closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I’ll talk to the doctors.”  Talk.  Doctor.

“Thank you.”

Jane smiled.  It wasn’t a completely happy smile, though.  Very few of the smiles Jane had given her since she had first woken had been completely happy; especially since her first nightmare the previous week.

Myka’s stomach twisted.  She rolled onto her side slightly as Jane stood and left.

-oOo-

Tracy pulled her lip between her teeth.  The eraser end of her pencil tapped against her homework for a few moments before she wrote the answer.

When she finished the sentence, she put her pencil down.  She sighed and leaned back in the desk chair.  She was almost done with the history worksheet, but still had questions from her science book and a short English essay to finish after.

She didn’t know how she was going to catch up.  She met with teachers each day after school, and they were all willing to take it at her pace, but it was just all so daunting.

She rolled her neck, then picked her pencil back up.

She didn’t look up as the door opened, signifying that Aunt Cindy had returned.  It wasn’t until a wrapped sandwich was put on the desk next to her that she stopped working.

She only stopped for a moment, however, and quickly went back to work.

“Eat,” Aunt Cindy pushed, gently pulling the pencil from Tracy’s hand.

Tracy shook her head.  “I’m not hungry.”

Aunt Cindy sighed and leaned against the desk.

“You need to eat.”

Tracy lowered her head, glancing at the sandwich every few moments.  She slumped back in the chair and pushed her homework back before pulling the sandwich to her.

Aunt Cindy put her hand on Tracy’s shoulder for a moment before standing straight and walking away.

Tracy ate the sandwich in silence, then went back to her homework.  She managed to stay focused on her essay until Aunt Cindy’s phone rang.  The woman talked for a few moments before walking back to the desk.

“It’s your mother,” she said, holding the phone out.

Tracy sighed and took the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Tracy.”  Her mother’s voice was tired.  Tracy swallowed thickly at the sound.

“Hey,” she quietly replied, not sure what else to say.

“We’ll be back in few days.”

Tracy’s breath caught.  “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.”

There were a few moments of silence.  Tracy slowly twirled her pencil around her fingers.

“I’ll see you then,” her mom finally said.

“Yeah,” Tracy replied.

There were a few more moments of silence.

“Tracy…”

“Yeah?”

Her mother took a deep breath.  “I love you.”

Tracy squeezed her eyes shut.  “I love you too, Mom.”

-oOo-

Olivia wrapped her fingers around the doorframe and peered into the den.

Steve was sitting with Claudia and Pete around the coffee table.  A plate filled with what she knew had to be the rest of the Oreos sat on the table.  Pete was showing Steve and Claudia something with his hands.

She didn’t fully understand why Pete was at their house so much.  She knew that something had happened to his friend Myka, something bad, but she didn’t know why that meant Pete was staying at their house.  Every time she asked her mother, she got quiet.

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows as she watched their hands.  Pete reached across the table and moved Claudia’s hand slightly.

“What’re you doing with your hands?”

They all turned to her, then glanced at each other.

“Pete’s teaching us sign language,” Steve said after a moment.

Olivia tilted her head.  “Why?”

Steve took a deep breath, then gestured for her to go over.  When she reached them, he pulled her down to sit next to him.

“Do you remember Myka?  From the pool party a few months ago?” he asked.

She nodded.  “She’s the one who was missing, right?  Didn’t they find her?”

Steve nodded.  “Yeah.  They did.  She’s coming home soon, but she got hurt, and she can’t hear really well right now.”

She perked up.  “So you’re learning how to speak with her.”

“Yup.”

“Can I learn?”

“Of course,” Pete spoke up.

-O-

Pete turned to Claudia after Steve carried a sleeping Olivia from the room.

“She’s…something.  Were you like that at her age?  I mean, a year isn’t much time, but…”

She threw an Oreo at him.  “There are at least four years between me and the rugrat,” she huffed.

“If you say so.”

“I do.  Besides,” her shoulders slumped, “I was already in the system at her age.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“Eh,” she waved him off.

He looked at the doorway again as memories of Myka rose up.  He couldn’t remember actually seeing her happy until they had worked together in the Room for a while.  Her dad could have easily…

He shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the thought.  It didn’t work as an image of a lanky, ten year old Myka hiding in a corner popped into his mind.  Had she been used to it by that age?

“She’ll be home this weekend,” Claudia softly said, pulling his mind from the image from an even younger Myka.

He glanced at her and nodded.

-oOo-

Helena was on the hotel bed, lying on her side, her legs bent slightly beneath the blankets.  One of her arms was curled beneath her head.  The other lay in front of her, her index finger tracing patterns on the touch pad.  Her eyes burned from the strain of the bright screen in the dark room as they followed the movement of the mouse.

She had spent over an hour trying to fall asleep before admitting defeat and sneaking to the sitting room of the suite for her father’s laptop.

She had been blankly staring at the default desktop image since.

A box popped up in the corner of the screen.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.  It was a new email notification, from Charles.  She moved the mouse to the box, only to have it vanish before she could click on it.

She let out a sharp breath through her nose and went to the browser instead.  A few clicks later Charles’ email was on the screen.

_Dearest sister,_

She rolled her eyes at his insistence for formality.

_I was quite distressed to learn that you had gone into such early labour.  I found it quite difficult to make it through the day with the knowledge that you were in such peril.  In truth, I am still quite anxious after receiving your last email, despite knowing that you and Christopher are both doing better._

_How is he doing?  I have spent some time researching the development of premature infants, and everything I have read states at some point that there is no perfectly typical case.  According to my findings, he should open his eyes at some point soon.  Has this happened?  Does he have my eyes?  I shall be absolutely distraught if he does not._

_I, too, am doing well.  Quite well, in fact.  Do you remember the girl I told you about?  Mary?  The costumer?  Well, we have now gone on multiple dates.  I am considering telling her.  I’m not entirely sure how.  You know how well the last people I told reacted._

_Still, look at me, discussing my own fortunes while my sister is in such a state.  I do wish I was able to afford international minutes.  It has been too long since we have actually spoken._

_As soon as they return to England, I will visit.  On my honour._

_Your brother._

She chuckled.  He had always been prone to exaggeration, even as a child.  Exaggeration and dramatics.

It had been some time, however, since he had gone so over the top.  Always her older brother, he had known that it would make her smile.  He had known she would need to smile, need him to help her smile.

She hit the reply button and began to type.  She barely managed to type out the greeting before falling asleep.

-oOo-

Myka pushed the grey mass across her plate.  She was pretty sure it was supposed to be oatmeal, but it had a consistence and texture more like mashed potatoes.  She sighed and brought a spoonful to her mouth.

It tasted nothing like oatmeal, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering she had never liked oatmeal all that much.  She forced herself to swallow, and flinched at the way it slid down her throat.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes, she glanced at the door.  Jane was in the doorway, watching her.

“Is that breakfast any good?” Jane asked.  Myka didn’t know the first sign Jane did, but know the second was ‘good’ and the third meant it was a question, so figured it must have been ‘breakfast’.

She shrugged and pushed the mush around some more.

Jane walked to the chair and sat.

Myka watched her, then turned back to her food when she sat.  She pushed the plate of mush to the side and pulled the bowl of fruit forwards instead.  She ate a few pieces before Jane lightly touched her arm.

She turned to the woman and took the notebook offered.  It was a new one, exactly the same as the last, except for the tie-dye pattern on the cover.

She opened it to the first page to find what Jane had written.

_I talked to the doctors.  They don’t like it, but they have agreed to keep you conscious during the flight._

She looked back at Jane, who nodded.

Myka nodded as well, more to affirm the news to herself.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Jane replied.

Myka took a deep breath.  “Tomorrow?”

Jane nodded again.  “Tomorrow.”


	38. Chapter 38

Myka watched Jane as she walked out of the room.  She had finished telling Myka what she knew about the transfer to the Featherhead hospital, then had left to get some breakfast.

Myka grabbed Jane’s phone from the table next to her bed, and sent a text to Pete.

_Your mom just told me we’ll be coming home tomorrow._

After making sure the text sent, she set the phone face down on the food tray.  Pete should be in school, which meant his phone should be…

The light tone Jane had set went off.   Three flashes meant it was a text message, which meant Pete was texting her from school.  Of course.

She grabbed the phone, unlocked it, and let out a short laugh.

_For real?_

_Yes, for real._

The next message took a few moments, but when it came through, it was a picture of Pete.  His grin was large and one of his hands was holding a thumbs up.

She squinted at the image over his shoulder.

_Are you in the bathrooms?_

_Where else do you expect me to take a selfie at school?_

_I honestly don’t know._

_Exactly, so I’m right_

Movement drew her attention to the door.  Jane was watching her and looked slightly uncomfortable.

_I’ll be back in a bit._

Jane sighed as she sat.

“Your mom wants to talk to you.”

Myka’s jaw clenched and she looked away.

She hadn’t actually talked to her mother the entire time she had been in the hospital.  Her mother had visited her every day, even fallen asleep in the chair a few times, but Myka had always ignored her.  She knew it had to hurt, but couldn’t bring herself to care.

Myka stared at the window across the room as Jane tried to reclaim her attention.

She didn’t want to talk to her mother.  She knew what her mother had tried to do that night, but it didn’t stack up against everything else.  Past excuses and apologies ran around her head, only stopping when something was placed in her lap.

She looked down.  The notebook was there, open to the most recent page.  When she looked over at Jane, the woman just nodded towards the notebook.

Barely managing to not roll her eyes, Myka looked back at the notebook.

_If you won’t talk, please at least let her speak._

When she looked back up, she reluctantly nodded.

Jane stood, and walked back to the doorway, where her mother was standing.

Myka watched her as she walked to the chair.  They sat in silence for a few moments before Jeannie shifted forwards.

“Myka,” she said.

Myka fought the urge to look away.  She would at least try to do as Jane asked.

She could see her mother trying to figure out how to start.  Finally, her shoulders fell slightly, and she handed Myka a folded piece of paper.

Myka slowly unfolded the paper.  It was unlined, so the words slanted downwards as they reached the end of the paper.  The handwriting was precise in some places, and hurried in others.  Words and sentences were crossed out. Halfway down the page an entire paragraph was scribbled over.

Myka looked up at her mom, who was staring at her hands, then back at the paper to read.

At first, there was almost no organization to what had been written.  It jumped from apologies to explanations to promises and back.  Towards the end, however, the thoughts and the handwriting cleared.

_I failed you, as a mother, as a caregiver, as a protector.  Part of me wants nothing more than to take you home and prove to you that I can do better.  But, that’s not what you need, and I know that.  As much as it hurts to let you go, I need to, for your health and safety._

_I know that Jane has already told you that I will be signing my custody of you to her.  I know that she will be able to care for you in a way I never have been able to._

_I have an earlier flight than you and Jane.  When I land, I have a meeting with the lawyers, to make sure all of the paperwork is correct.  Jane will be able to sign them as soon as you two arrive.  I’ll see you then._

_I’m sorry, Myka._

_I love you._

Myka stared at the last words for a few moments before looking up.  The chair was empty.  Her mother was gone.

She turned to the door, to find Jane carefully watching her.  The woman stepped into the room and walked to the chair.

Myka read through the note again before folding it again and sticking it into the back cover of the notebook.  She stared at the notebook until Jane laid a hand on her arm.  Jane was about to say something when she looked at her, but looked to the door instead.  Myka did so as well.

The doctor in the doorway looked apologetic for interrupting them, but she still walked into the room.

“We want to test your hearing,” she told Myka when she reached the bedside.  “Once more before you leave.”  She continued, but it was too fast for Myka to follow.

Myka turned to Jane, who took the notebook.

_They want to test your hearing again, so they can let the other hospital know where you are now, and how your ears have been healing._

“If they haven’t?” Myka asked.

Jane smiled gently as she leaned forwards and pushed some hair behind Myka’s ear.

“They have,” she said.  “And they will keep getting better.”

When Myka gave her a disbelieving look, Jane laughed.

“I promise,” she said.

Myka watched her for a few moments, then nodded.  Jane smiled before pressing a kiss to the side of Myka’s head.

-oOo-

Jeannie took a deep breath as the plane left the runway.

It hurt, leaving Myka the way she had, but she knew she had to.  Knowing that Jane was with Myka did help, but only a little.

Her eyes teared up as the city vanished beneath the clouds, but she held them back.  She wouldn’t cry over what she knew was the best thing to do.

-oOo-

Pete turned his phone over in his hands as he leaned against the school wall closest to the parking lot.  School had just let out and Myka still hadn’t texted him back.  He smiled, she was probably too busy getting ready for the next day to text him.

“You look happy.”

He grinned at Claudia as she walked up with Steve.  He pushed himself off of the wall so he was standing straight.  “Myka texted me earlier.  She’s coming back tomorrow.”

Claudia’s face went blank for a moment, then she let out a laugh and threw her arms around him.

“Did she say when tomorrow?” Steve asked.

Pete shook his head.  “All I know is tomorrow.”

“So what you’re saying,” Claudia said as she let go of him, “is we’re gunna spend the entire day at the hospital waiting for her.”

“That’s my plan,” Pete agreed.

Claudia turned to Steve.  “How early do you think your mom’d drive us to the hospital?”

Steve shrugged.  “As long as we eat first, I don’t think she’d care how early.”

“Awesome, so zero-dark-thirty?”

Leena walked up to them with an eyebrow raised.  “What’s going on at zero-dark-thirty?”

“Myka’s coming home tomorrow, so we want to wait for her at the hospital,” Claudia told her.  “You in?”

“Why don’t we find out about when she’ll get there, so we aren’t exhausted when she arrives?”

Pete and Claudia glanced at each other.

“That’s a good idea,” Claudia sighed.

“That’s why we need her,” Pete agreed.

“My mom’s here,” Steve spoke up, watching the parking lot.

“You guys go ahead, I wanna make sure everything’s ready at my house,” Pete said.

“You know she still won’t be there until they let her leave the Featherhead hospital, right?” Claudia asked.

Pete shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Yeah, I know.”

Claudia opened her mouth to push it further, but Leena stepped up and put her hand on Claudia’s shoulder.

“Just text us when you want to be picked up,” Steve told Pete.

“I will,” Pete replied before beginning to step away.  “I’ll see you guys later.”

He couldn’t explain his sudden need to be alone, but just the thought of staying with the others irritated him.

He barely heard Steve asking if Leena wanted to spend the night at his place before he walked out of hearing range.  He wanted to join them, but not yet.

“Where you off to, Lattimer?”

Pete rolled his eyes at Ralph’s voice, but kept walking.  He groaned when Ralph grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“You coming to the party tonight?”

“I don’t know,” Pete replied, pulling away.

“It’ll be a mistake if you don’t.”

“Yeah?  Whatever.”

He was glad when Ralph didn’t follow him.  He pulled his headphones out of his pocket and plugged them into his phone.

When he was about halfway home, his phone buzzed.

_Sorry,_ the text began, _the doctor’s wanted to check my hearing one last time._

He grinned.  Myka really was coming back.  He quickly typed out a reply.

_And?_

He made it down another block before the reply came.

_The doctors say it’s better._

He stared at the words.  She wasn’t telling him everything.

_But?_

He could imagine her sighing as she tried to find a way to answer.

_What if it doesn’t come back?_

He grimaced.  He had tried to keep the possibility from his mind, but what if it didn’t?  What if Myka had completely lost her hearing?  Would she be able to return to the program?  Or would Mrs. Fredric kick her out?  What would she do at school?  What would she do after graduating?

He knew she would adapt, but he also knew that it wouldn’t be easy.

He didn’t really think as he typed his reply.

_Then I’ll have another deaf sister._

His eyes grew wide as the text sent.  He had never told Myka about Jeannie.

_Another?_

He took deep breath as he thought about how he could put the conversation off as long as possible.

_I’ll tell you about it when you’re completely out of the hospital._

He paused for a moment, then started typing again.

_Oh, and please don’t ask my mom…and delete the texts…it isn’t her favorite subject_

By the time Myka texted back, Pete had reached his house.

  1. _How’s school?_



_Ugggh_

-oOo-

Jane smiled from the doorway as Myka laughed at her phone.  A few moments later, the girl rolled her eyes.

“Mrs. Lattimer?”

Jane turned to the doctor.  “Yes?”

“We want to perform a few more tests before the end of the day; mostly for her concussion.”

Jane nodded and followed her into the room.

-oOo-

“You know, I could stay in the living room if you aren’t comfortable.”

Leena turned around to look at Claudia.  The younger girl was standing awkwardly in the middle of her room as she watched Leena.  They had spent the afternoon just hanging out with Steve and it hadn’t been until Steve’s mom had mentioned dinner that they had even thought of where Leena was going to sleep.

“I’m fine with it as long as you are,” Leena told her.

Claudia rubbed the back of her neck.  “You sure?”

Leena smiled.  “I’m sure.”

“Okay.”

They just watched each other for a moment, then Leena turned back to the drawings on the wall over the desk.  They had just looked like basic shapes – a heart, a tree, a house – but when she looked closer, she realized that they were circuit boards.  The lines weaved together to make the pictures.

“Did you draw these?”

“Umm, yeah, I did.”

“They’re really cool.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you draw other stuff?”

“Sometimes.”

“Like what?”  She looked back at Claudia, who shrugged.

“Just stuff.”

Leena smirked as she turned back to the drawings.

“I like this one,” she said as she pointed to a cross section of a brain.

“That’s the biggest one I’ve done so far,” Claudia said.

“Are you working on another?”

Claudia stepped up to her side and opened a drawer in the desk.  She pulled a book of grid paper out.  Leena kept her eyes on the drawings on the wall as Claudia flipped through the book.  She didn’t want to intrude on pieces Claudia didn’t want anyone to see.

She looked down when Claudia held the book out.

“It’s beautiful,” she said as she ran a finger just outside the butterfly’s finished wing.  The pattern on the wing was formed by differing lengths and widths of the circuits.

Claudia was saved from replying by a knock on the door.

“It’s time for dinner,” Steve said through the wood.

“We’ll be right out,” Claudia replied.  She put her book back into the drawer and looked at Leena.  “You ready?”

Leena nodded.

Claudia pulled her phone out of her pocket and put it on her desk.

“Emma says no phones at the table,” she explained.  “Something about them taking away from ‘family bonding time’ or something.”

Leena nodded and pulled her own phone out.  She turned the screen on and was surprised to see a message from Pete.

“Pete’s spending the night at his place,” she said after reading it.

“Can he do that?”

Leena shrugged as she put her phone down.  “Do you want to go argue with him?”

“Not really.”

“Momma says to come down already!” Olivia yelled through the door.

“We’re coming,” Claudia said as she opened the door.

Olivia smiled innocently up at her.  “Okay.”

Claudia turned to Leena with an exasperated look when Olivia ran off.

“She’s a nuisance,” she groaned.

“You love it,” Leena laughed, pushing Claudia through the door.

“I do not,” Claudia grumbled.

Leena smiled, then held back her own groan.  She was so done for.

-oOo-

Jeannie was exhausted as she walked up to the hotel door.  Her feet dragged.  Her arms hung limp by her sides.  Even while walking she had to fight to keep her eyes open.

The room numbers were blurry as she tried to find the correct room.  She stopped to squint at one.  She had to make sure the last number was a four, not a nine, before knocking.

The door opened before she could figure it out.

“Mom!”

She smiled and held tears back as she wrapped her arms around Tracy.

-oOo-

The grass was itchy beneath his bare back.  The music was blurred by the cheers and yells of the party.  A warm hand rested on his chest.

Pete squinted at the sky.

“Whaa?” a warm voice breathed into his ear.

He squinted harder.  “There’s two north stars.”

The laugh tickled his ear.  He turned his head and grinned.

“Keeeelly, m’serious,” he said.

“In that case, we better call the science people.”

“Tha’s a good idea.  You have good ideas.”

She laughed again.  “I know.”

His grin dropped.

“I got an idea.”

“What?”

He moved his hand to the side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

“That was a good idea,” she whispered when they pulled apart.

“Not the idea,” he replied.  “M’mom’s not home.  W’nna come?”

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips before she nodded.  “Yeah.”

Pete kissed her again before sitting up.  The hand she had on his chest fell, but she ran the other up his back as she sat up.

He reached behind them to grab his shirt.

“Aww,” he whined when the cups sitting on it fell.  The liquid inside flowed into the grass.  “Tha’ was good stuff.”

“There’s more inside,” Kelly told him.  “We c’n grab some as we leave.”

Pete pulled his shirt over his head, barely managing to get his arms through the holes.  When he managed to pull it down, he turned to her.

“See, good ideas.  Lotsa, lotsa good ideas.”


	39. Chapter 39

Leena propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at Claudia.  The girl was curled up beneath her blanket on the floor, one arm beneath her pillow.  As she watched, Claudia spoke again, more indistinguishable words mumbled in her sleep.

Leena's attention was pulled away as loud footsteps barreled down the hallway, followed by a door slamming.  She stared at the door for a few moments, then looked back at Claudia, who had slept through the noise.  Leena let out a soft laugh and sat up.

When she heard the door in the hallway open again, she climbed out of Claudia's bed and made her way out of the room.  Claudia's phone alarm went off as she stepped into the hallway and had been turned off by the time she reached the bathroom.

She expected to find Claudia still passed out when she returned to the room.  Instead, Claudia was sitting up, the pillow in her lap as she glared at her phone.

"What's wrong?" Leena asked.

"Pete still isn't answering," Claudia huffed.  "It's going straight to voicemail."

"Maybe his phone died," Leena suggested as she grabbed her own phone from the desk.

"Why would his phone die?  Why would he let his phone die?"  Claudia let her phone drop onto the pillow as she looked up at Leena.

Leena shrugged as she tried to call Pete.

Straight to voicemail.

"Maybe we should stop by his house before heading to the hospital," she suggested.

Claudia nodded.  "I think that's a good idea.  I'll ask Emma at breakfast.  Then we can stop at your place so you can get some clean clothes; then off to the hospital!"  Claudia grinned.  "I can't believe she's coming back today."  Her face fell slightly.  "What if we don't get to see her?  Aren't visitors supposed to be family only?  I mean, they should let us anyway, cause we're better family than her actual family, but what if they don't?"

"If they don't, we will at least know exactly where she is, and that she's safe," Leena gently cut in.

Claudia nodded.  "Yeah, and it can't be too much longer before they let her out of the hospital completely, if they're bringing her up here."

"It can't be.  If we don't see her today, it won't be too long before we do."

Claudia stood.  She tossed both pillow and phone onto her bed.  "I still wanna see her today."

"I know, we all do."

Claudia glanced at her, then walked to her dresser.  "You gunna stay in that until we get to your place?"

Leena looked down at the basketball shorts and t-shirt she had borrowed from Claudia the night before.

"I was actually thinking of changing back into my clothes, so you don't have to worry about me returning these," she said.

"I wouldn't worry," Claudia said with a shrug.  "I have plenty, and Emma is constantly doing laundry, so I never run out."

"Are you sure?"  She narrowed her eyes.  "This isn't some ploy to keep me wearing your clothes is it?"

Claudia's eyes went wide.  "N...no.  I just...I know what it's like to hafta, ya'know, to put clothes on from the day before, and it's not gross, but it kinda is, cause it just feels kinda gross, like you know they're dirty, even though they aren't super-super dirty.... you know?"

Leena stared at her.

“Not that you’re dirty, but clothes get dirty when they’re worn.  And, it is oddly nice seeing you in my clothes, but I haven’t really noticed how you look in that…and ummm… I mean you look good in it, but, you know, I mean, you looked great in your clothes too… but, I just -”

She was cut off as Leena started to laugh.  Claudia stared at her.

"You were messing with me," she deadpanned.

Leena nodded.  "I was."

"You're mean," Claudia said.  "I bet if I told the others that, they wouldn't believe me.  You come off all nice and sweet, but beneath that, is this absolute butthead who enjoys other people's confusion."

"Did you just call me a butthead?"

They stared at each other for a few moments before they both started laughing.  Finally, Claudia shrugged.

"I live with a nine year old.  Butthead is her go-to insult."

"Breakfast!" Olivia yelled as she pounded on the door.

Claudia sighed.  "And she doesn't know how to knock properly."

Leena laughed and stepped towards the door.  "Come on."

Claudia turned a pale red.  "I gotta go to the bathroom first."

"I'll see you down there, then."

She stepped into the hallway and nearly ran into Steve.

"Sorry," she said.

He glanced around, then pulled her into his room.

"Steve?"

"I want to apologize, for how I reacted about the kiss at Pete’s.  I interpreted it wrong and reacted badly.  I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

"It's fine," she told him.

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure.  I'm glad, actually."

"Glad?"

"You're her big brother now, Steve, who else would threaten me?"

He blinked a few times.  "Right.  So...we should get downstairs before my mom sends Olivia through again."

-oOo-

Kelly laughed as she watched Pete dump everything out of his backpack.  He had freaked out and jumped out of bed after checking his phone.  Then, after clutching his head for a moment, had walked around the room before grabbing his bag.  “What are you doing?”

“Looking for my charger,” he absently replied.

“Why?”

“My phone’s dead.”

“Oh.”

He glanced over at her, then went back to searching.

Kelly hummed.  She uncurled and pushed the blanket off before stretching.  When she sat up and looked at Pete, a blush was rising up his neck.

“You can look, you know,” she told him.  “It’s not like you didn’t do more last night.”

He looked at her again, meeting her eyes, and gave a lopsided grin before looking back down.

“We should do this again,” she said as she grabbed her panties and jeans.

He looked up in surprise.  “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Okay.  Good.  Yeah.”  He put his hand down, then let out a cheer as he picked up his charger.

Kelly watched with amusement as he crossed the room to plug his phone in.  After a few moments, he held the power button down.

-o-

"Finally," Pete sighed as his phone turned on.  He ignored the text notifications that came up and called Claudia.

"Dude," Claudia answered.  "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I fell asleep before putting my phone on the charger."  It technically wasn't a lie.

"Fine, we're on our way to pick you up."

His eyes grew wide.  "What?"

"Yeah, we should be there in a minute."

Pete looked at Kelly.  She had pulled her jeans on and was picking her shirt up.  She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"I just..."  His mind raced as he tried to think of what to say.  He screwed his eyes shut at the pain that shot through his head.  "I just woke.  It might be a while before I'm ready."

"We can wait."

Kelly stepped closer to him.  'What?' she mouthed.

He shook his head and mouthed 'Hurry'.

She pouted slightly, but went back to getting dressed.

Turning his attention back to Claudia, he heard muffled speaking from someone on the other end.

“Hello?” he asked.

"Yeah," Claudia said, turning her attention back to the phone.  "We’re gunna head out to Leena's first.  We'll pick you up on the way back through town."

"Perfect," he sighed.  "I'll be ready then."

"Awesome.  See ya."

"Bye."

He groaned and slumped back.  He let out another groan as his head hit the wall and sent ripples of pain through his brain.

"What?" Kelly asked.

He sighed, and stood.  He stumbled slightly and had to brace himself against the wall.  "I'm sorry.  I know this sounds bad, but you really need to leave."

"Why?"

"Some of my friends are coming to pick me up, so we can be at the hospital when Myka gets there, and they cannot know that you...that anyone else was here."

"Okay."

"Okay?  That's it?"

She laughed.  "I get it, Pete.  I'm not going to get mad."

"You're not?"

She stepped closer.  "No, not as long as we do actually do this again."

He grinned.  "I think I'd be cool with that."

"Cool.”  She reached up and pecked his lips before stepping back towards the door.  “Any chance I can get some food before you so graciously kick me out?"

"There isn’t much, but I think we have bananas."

-oOo-

She stared at the ambulance.  The longer she stared, the heavier her chest became.  She didn’t look away until Jane appeared in her peripheral, moving to the center of her line of sight.

“Twenty minutes,” Jane said.  “It is only twenty minutes.”

Myka gave a shaky nod, her focus moving from Jane to the ambulance and back.

“Twenty minutes,” she murmured.

Jane smiled, then nodded at the paramedics.

Myka swallowed as the paramedics opened the back of the ambulance and lowered the ramp.

“Twenty minutes,” Jane repeated before standing and stepping to the side of the wheelchair.

Myka’s hand twitched, then she reached out and grabbed Jane’s hand.  Jane squeezed her hand and held it until the paramedics pushed the wheelchair to the bottom of the ramp.

Myka’s chest grew heavy at the loss of contact.

“Twenty minutes,” she whispered.  “Twenty minutes.”

She focused on her breathing as the paramedics wheeled her into the ambulance and secured the wheelchair.  The walls of the ambulance were so close.

The engine started.  Her muscles tensed as the vehicle began to hum around her.  She had to force every breath.  Fog began to creep into her vision.

The doors closed.

The fog moved in.

All she could see were the windows on the back door.

Something warm covered her hand.

Someone appeared in her vision.

She blinked a few times before recognizing Jane.  A moment later, she realized that the warmth on her hand was Jane’s.

Jane’s lips and free hand were moving, but Myka couldn’t make any of it out.

She shook her head.  The muscles in her neck were tight and jerked as they moved.

The hand Jane had on hers moved to the side of her face.  Myka focused on that feeling – the warmth, the contact – and her body began to relax.

It became easier to breath.

Her muscles relaxed.

Her vision cleared.

By the time she was able to recognize that Jane was sitting in a chair bolted to the ambulance floor, the vehicle had stopped vibrating.

Jane looked to one side and nodded.  Myka looked the same way to see the side door open and the paramedics moving around outside.  One of them slowly approached her and began to unfasten the restraints that held the wheelchair in place.

Myka looked back at Jane, then past her to the rear windows.  She could see a plane flying low, and getting lower as it passed.  She looked back at the side door, and noticed the luggage laden people.

She blinked a few times.  It hadn’t felt like any time had passed, but at the same time, it had felt like so much longer than twenty minutes.

-oOo-

Claudia jumped up and down as she pressed Pete's doorbell over and over again.  She could hear the sound echo through the house.

"C'mon!" she yelled.

A moment later, the door was thrown open.

"Could'ya stop?" Pete asked, pressing the water bottle in his hand to his forehead..

"Hurry up," she whined.  "Are you ready?"

"Only if you stop pressing the doorbell."

"I'll stop if you're ready, cause then we won't be here anymore."

"Good thing I'm ready."

She grinned.  "Great, now get in the car."

He said nothing as he closed the door and locked it.

"Just so you know, cause you were unreachable last night, and might not know, they should get to the hospital at four at the latest, but possibly closer to two, it all depends on when they actually leave," Claudia rambled as they walked down the path.

"How do you know that?" he asked.  He had known; it had been in the flood of texts and voicemails his mom had left on his phone.

"Emma called your mom."

"What?"

"Yeah, she wanted to know so she could convince us that we didn't need to get there when it was still dark."

He nodded as he opened the back door of the SUV.  She climbed in first, stepping all the way through to the seat against the other door.  He followed her and took the first seat.  Leena was in the passenger's seat while Olivia and Steve were in the far back.

“Hello, Pete,” Emma said.

“Hey, Mrs. Jinks,” he replied as he buckled his seat belt.

“Did you have a good night?”

He avoided her gaze in the rearview mirror.  “I didn’t do much.  Ordered pizza than went to bed early.”

She nodded vaguely as she pulled out of the driveway.

“What’d you guys do last night?” Pete asked after a few moments of silence.

“Watched some movies, hung out,” Claudia said.

“They wouldn’t let me watch with them,” Olivia whined.

Pete turned to her, his eyes wide.  “What?  How dare they?”

“Exactly!”  She gave a content sigh as she finally had someone on her side.

“The movie was PG-13,” Emma said from the front.

Pete whistled.  “It’s probably a good thing, then.  I watched a PG-13 movie once when I was nine.”

“And?” Olivia pushed.

“I had nightmares until I turned 13.”  He gave a wise nod.  “Not a smart idea.”

She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms.  “Fine, but next time, I pick the movie.”

-oOo-

Myka stared through the airplane window.  The angle was awkward – they had her lying in a bed strapped down in the front of the plane – but she could see the wing tip, and the runways beyond that.

She stared so she could avoid the stares she was getting from the other passengers.  Some were curious.  Some were concerned.  Some, she was sure, recognized her from the Amber Alert.  All of them set her on edge.

So she focused on the view through the window and on Jane’s hand in hers.

She took a deep breath, only to have it catch as the plane began to vibrate around her.  Her head jerked towards Jane.

She could feel the panic threaten to rise again.  She squeezed Jane’s hand and focused on her as she said what Myka assumed must be soothing thing.

She glanced at the window.  The world outside was moving.

Her focus moved from the window – to Jane – to her breathing – to Jane – to the window – to how heavy the vibrations were.

Heavy.  They were heavy and low and nothing like a car.

Her gaze settled on the window again, just in time to watch the world pick up speed, then drop away.  The vibrations seemed to go with it.

A lightness filled her chest.

She was flying.

She was actually flying, through the air.

Her – a human being – flying.

She let out a laugh and turned to Jane.

“We’re flying,” she said.

Jane smiled and nodded.  “We are.”

Myka looked out the window again, watching the world grow smaller and smaller.

-oOo-

Jeannie watched Tracy as the girl tried to focus on her phone.  Every few moments, however, Tracy would look up at the door of the waiting room.  Her brow would crease lightly and her lips would tug down.  The expression would vanish by the time she looked back at her phone.

“Tracy,” Jeannie softly said.

Tracy looked up, her expression guarded.  “Yeah?”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Tracy’s fingers tightened around her phone at her mother’s words.  Her brow creased the same way it had been all morning.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Jeannie took a deep breath and turned closer to her daughter.  “After Myka is out of the hospital-“

“We’ll get a new place, right?  The three of us?” Tracy cut her off.  “We could sell the bookstore, or… we could keep running it, but rent out the apartment.”

Jeannie’s throat tightened at the desperation that snuck into Tracy’s voice.  She shook her head and Tracy’s face fell.

“Myka will be staying with Jane from now on.  Once they arrive I’m signing my parental rights over Myka to her.”

“So, the two of us…we’ll run the store, and we’ll have dinner with them on Saturdays or something.”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“Maybe?”

Jeannie sighed and grabbed one of Tracy’s hands.

“I don’t know what will happen with you, or me.”

“Mom…what?”

“I don’t know if you will be allowed to stay with me.”

“Why…why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m not-“ she swallowed “-not a good mother.  I should have protected Myka.  I should have taken you both away from him the first time he hurt her, before then even, but I was too scared to.”

“But _you_ never hurt her,” Tracy said.  Her eyes were wide as she fought to hold back tears.  “So why would I not be able to stay with you?”

Jeannie brought her free hand to Tracy’s cheek.  “I can set it up so you’ll go stay with Aunt Cindy.”

“And leave my friends?  School?  Leave Myka?  No.”

“Then you’d have to live with a foster family in town.”

“I want to live with you.”

“I know, honey, and I’m going to try, but I want you to be ready for the possibility.”

Tracy pushed forward and threw her arms around her mother.  She burrowed her face into Jeannie’s neck as she tried to not cry.

Jeannie held Tracy close, only letting go when Tracy pulled away as Myka’s friends entered the waiting room.

-oOo-

Helena hovered outside the door for a few moments.  The only people in the waiting room were the ones she was looking for, but she wasn't sure how they would actually receive her.

The decision was taken from her when Pete's voice came from the hallway.

"What's up, HG?  How are you on this fine auspicious day?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.  He raised one back.  His hands were full of snacks from a vending machine.

“I must ask, where did you learn that word?”

"I'm pretty sure Myka used it once."

"And you listened?"

"I do that sometimes.  Come on in," he said as he walked into the waiting room.  “I bring food and a friend,” he announced to the room.

A series of greetings rang out.  Everyone but Leena called her HG.

Helena turned to Pete.  "Must you insist on spreading that everywhere?"

He grinned at her.  "That’s the plan."

She rolled her eyes.

“What?  It’s cool,” he defended himself.

“You may think so.”  She walked further into the room and sat next to Claudia, who was with Leena and Steve at the far end of the room.

Pete followed her.

“How’s Christopher?” Leena asked.

Helena smiled.  “He’s doing well.  The doctors are saying that he is progressing as he would if still in the womb.”

“Still in the womb?” Pete questioned.

Helena nodded.  “Premature infants still have to develop to the point where they would have been born.”

“So he, like, wasn’t fully baked?”

Helena stared at him for a few moments.  “That is one way to look at it.”

-oOo-

Pete watched as Emma led Olivia out of the room to get lunch in town.  Tracy and Jeannie had left nearly thirty minutes ago to do the same.

Once he was sure they were gone, he turned to Helena.

"What's the program like in England?"

She cut off half-way through a word in her conversation with Claudia.

“What?”

“You were in the program in England, right?”

“I was, yes.”

“So what was it like?  _In the home land.  Across the pond._ ”  He took on a fake British accent for the last part that sounded more French.

An insulted expression briefly crossed her face, then she rolled her eyes.

"I can't exactly compare, as I have hardly had a chance to experience it here, but we had a lot of studying, and physical work."

"That's basically what we do here, although you and Leena will supposedly get to actually know what the job is soon."

“Yes, I do believe that is supposed to happen.”

"Can you tell us when you find out?"

"No, Pete," Leena cut in.

"Why not?" Pete whined.

Leena ignored him and turned to Helena.  "He's been trying to get me to promise that for ages now."

"It's just not fair," he complained.  "It's gunna be forever before I know."

"You only have another year.  I've been training with Artie since my freshman year," Leena told him.  "Trust me, you'll get there."

“You’ve had to put up with him for four years?” Claudia asked.

“Three, technically, but yes,” Leena replied with a chuckle.

“How?  I can barely stand a session with him.”

“I didn’t break into the room the first time we met.”

“He’s never going to forget that, is he?”

-oOo-

Jane sighed as the seatbelt lights turned off and the other passengers began to get their carry-ons.

Myka had fallen asleep less than an hour into the flight, and no matter how much Jane wanted to let Myka sleep through the ambulance ride to the hospital, she knew she couldn’t.

Not only had Myka specifically asked otherwise, but she didn’t want to make Myka wake in a strange place.

Jane had hoped that the touchdown would be enough to wake Myka, but it looked like she was going to have to do it.

She waited until all of the passengers had gotten off, then gently shook Myka’s shoulder.  After a few moments, Myka jerked awake.

Her eyes darted around in panic before Jane managed to catch them with her own.  She held Myka’s gaze and said everything that ran through her head until Myka had visibly calmed down.

A few moments after Myka had relaxed, Jane picked up the notebook and handed it to Myka.  Before they had touched down, she had written out that there was just one more ambulance ride before they were done.

The apprehension was clear on Myka’s face.  The hour and a half ride was going to be much longer than twenty minutes.  She finally turned to Jane and gave a shaky ‘okay’.

Jane gave her a small smile before turning to the paramedics hovering just inside the plane, and nodding.

-oOo-

A low rumble filled the waiting room.

“Who’s up for more food?” Pete asked as everyone turned to him.

“Dude, you’ve already emptied half of the vending machine,” Claudia told him.

“And you only stopped because it ran out of quarters for change,” Steve added.

Pete shrugged.  “I’m a growing boy.”

“Definitely growing somewhere,” Claudia said, holding her hands a few inches away from her stomach.

“The nineties called, they want their insult back,” Pete said.

“The year 2000 called, it wants its comeback back.”  Claudia screwed up her nose and turned to Leena.  “Come back back,” she murmured.  “That didn’t work.”

Leena chuckled.  “No, not really.”

Claudia huffed and turned back to Pete, who was grinning.  His grin dropped as he jumped, startled by the vibration and loud voice from his pocket.

His grin returned as he read the text.

“The plane landed, they’re on their way,” he said.

“Really?” Claudia asked as she pulled his phone from his hand.

“Hey!” Pete protested.  He tried to grab his phone back, but she moved out of his reach.

She held the phone out to Leena to read.  Leena took the phone from her, read the text, then handed the phone back to Pete.

“You’re no fun,” Claudia pouted.

Leena just smiled at her.

“They should be here in less than two hours,” Pete said, reading a new text.  “Should we get her something?  Ooh, let’s get her a balloon!  A bouquet of balloons!”

“Let’s just stick with an actual bouquet, or a book.  She’d like a book,” Claudia said.

“What’s wrong with balloons?” Pete asked.

Claudia shrugged.  “I just think she’d like a book more.”

Pete huffed.  “Fine.”

-o-

Helena ran her finger along the spines of the books.  Further down the aisle, Pete was, yet again, asking Claudia if Myka would like whatever book he had picked up.  Helena glanced over just long enough to see that, yet again, Pete had chosen a picture book.

Shaking her head, Helena turned back to the books on the shelf in front of her, then moved to the next section.  She wasn’t entirely sure of Myka’s taste in books, but was positive that she could make a better decision than Pete.

She paused as a title caught her eye – _Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café._

Her mind briefly went back to a moment with Myka over the summer.

_“He had mourned each of those great trains as, one by one, they were pulled off the lines and left to rust in some yard, like old aristocrats, fading away; antique relics of times gone by.”_

_Myka’s head tilted to the side.  “I don’t know that one,” she admitted after a few moments._

_Helena held the book out to her.  Myka took it and smiled._

_“This one has been sitting here as long as I can remember.”_

_“Have you read it?”_

_She shook her head.  “I want to, but-“ she just shrugged.  “I don’t think my dad would approve.  I’ve always wondered why we even have it.”_

_Helena stared at the book for a few moments.  “The movie is quite good,” she said._

_“I usually try to read the book first,” Myka quietly told her._

_“Then let me know when you do read it, I don’t mind watching the movie again.”_

_“I will.”_

Helena smiled at the memory and pulled the book out.

-oOo-

“Please stop,” Claudia groaned as Pete checked his phone again.

They were back in the waiting room, taking up the corner farthest from the door.  The books they had bought were stacked on the chair next to Leena.  Helena had held onto them until she had gone back to see Christopher.  Jeannie and Tracy had been in the room when they had returned.  Emma and Olivia had returned not long after.

“They should be here by now, why aren’t they?” he huffed.  “And why hasn’t my mom texted me?”

“Because my phone died.”

“Mom!”  He jumped up and hugged her.

“Hey, Pete,” she said.

“When’d you guys get here?  How’s Myka?  Can we see her?” he rambled off after pulling back.

“Myka’s asleep,” Jane answered.  “You’ll be able to see her tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” he whined.

She leveled a hard glare at him.  “Tomorrow.”  She looked up at Jeannie, who had stood, and nodded.

Jeannie turned to Tracy and said a few things before walking towards Jane and following her out of the room.

Pete turned back to the group.  “Who’s up for staying the night?”

-oOo-

Jane scanned through the papers again.  Jeannie sat on the other side of the cafeteria table.  Her head was down, staring at her hands in her lap.

Jane reached the bottom of the page and looked up at her.

“This can’t be easy,” she softly said.

Jeannie shook her head without looking up.  A few locks of hair fell in front of her face, she reached up and pushed them back.

Jane glanced back at the papers for a few moments.

“You’re sure about this?” she asked.

Jeannie finally looked up.  Her eyes were wet.  She took a deep breath.

“For Myka.”

Jane nodded.  She picked up the pen Jeannie had given her, and rolled it between her fingers.

“What about Tracy?”

“With any luck, I’ll be allowed to keep her.”

“How’re you going to explain that to Myka?  Keeping Tracy but not her?”

Jeannie looked back down, then across the cafeteria.  The locks of hair fell again and she pushed them back.  The tendons in her neck were tight, and grew tighter as she swallowed.

“Myka…”  She shook her head and looked at her lap.  “Myka needs somebody more than me, somebody who can actually take care of her.”  She took a shuddering breath.  “Someone she can trust to take care of her.  And maybe it’s selfish of me to want to keep one of my girls, but I know that Myka needs more than what I can give her, and I can only hope that she will understand one day.”

Jane watched her for a few moments before looking back at the papers.  She put the pen to the paper.

“Wait,” Jeannie choked out.

Jane lifted the pen up.  A blot of ink had bled out just above the line.

Jeannie took a deep breath and brought a hand up to rub her temple.

“You should know, Warren might…”  Her throat closed up.  She had to get it out – Jane had to know – but it did nothing but catch in her throat.

Jane’s back straightened.  Her face grew grim.  “Might what?” she asked.

Jeannie looked everywhere but at Jane.  She twisted her wedding ring around her finger, and with twist in her gut realized she was still wearing it.  She slid it over her knuckles.  The absence gave her the boost she needed.

“He might not be her father.”

Jane’s face went blank.  “What?”

“He might be, but, he might not be.”

“Who else might be?”

Jeannie took a deep breath.  The locks fell once more.  She tied her hair back with a rubber band she had on her wrist.

When she went to speak, the words tumbled out.  “His name’s Zach.  Warren and I started dating in high school.  We were on and off for years.  It was during one of our longer times off that I met Zach.  It was our senior year at college.  We met at a one-act audition.”  A smile forced its way onto her lips.  “I loved him so much, but he got an internship…in Germany.”  A laugh bubbled up her throat.  “We might have tried, but Warren was hinting that he wanted us to get back together, and that man-“ she grimaced “-has always had a hold on me.”  She shook her head.  “There was barely a week between when Zach left and Warren and I got back together.  A month later, I found out I was pregnant.  It was just easier back then to assume that she was Warren's.”

“And now?”  Jane’s voice was measured and careful.

“I don’t know.”  She rubbed the side of her nose.  “I called him.”

“You called him?”

 “Warren had Myka, and I was scared, and I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Did you tell him about Myka?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“We agreed to test it.  He was up here when she was found, and left some blood for the test.  If he isn’t, she’ll never know.  If he is-” she shrugged, her eyes focused on her lap again “-I don’t know.”

“If he is, we’ll figure it out,” Jane softly told her.

Jeannie looked up.  “We?”

Jane nodded.  “You will still be her mother,” she said.  “Even with this, I’m not going to cut you from her life.”

“Thank you,” Jeannie said.

Jane glanced down and breathed in deeply before signing the papers.  She stared at her signature for a few moments before breathing out.

“Do you want to tell her that it’s official, or do you want me to?” she asked.

Jeannie was quiet for a few moments.  When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.  “I think it would be best coming from you.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Sorry it's been so long, like, literally the entire semester. First, things were bad, then they kinda got better, but it's still all lingering. Then it was exam week....and it's still exam week, but I'm procrastinating. This part has actually been done for a while now, but I had hoped to have this chapter and the next as one. However, I am sure anyone who is still reading this wants an update, and it's au week on tumblr. So, yeah. I hope you enjoy. No idea when the next chapter will be up...or written, I'm going straight from graduation to an internship, so the next week or so will still be crazy busy.
> 
> Also, does anyone want me to start replying to the comments again? I kinda stopped when things got bad, and never started. I do appreciate every single comment, even if I don't reply to it.

Helena leaned against the back elevator wall. She fought to keep her eyes open, but her lips were turned up in a slight smile.

She had meant to leave earlier - much earlier, really - but had lost track of the time with Christopher in her arms. So, at nearly midnight, she was going to have to call her parents or a cab.

The elevator jolted to a stop two floors above the ground level to let a few nurses on.

Through the tired haze, Helena noticed a police officer standing outside a door partway down the hallway. As the doors began to close, the officer scanned around, then walked away. Helena jerked forward, pushing a nurse to the side as she stuck her hand out to prevent the door from closing. The nurse's objections were already forgotten as she made her way down the hall.

She grinned as she reached the door and, as she had expected, the file on the outside read Bering, Myka O.

She looked around. The door was in plain sight of the nurse’s station, but the station was empty. The officer's back was just visible further down the hall, but there was nobody else in sight.

Helena slipped into the room silently.

She just wanted to see her, she told herself. Once she had seen her, she would leave before the officer returned.

When she saw Myka, however, her feet moved on their own accord until she was next to the bed.

As she looked down at Myka, her throat closed and her chest felt light at the same time. Myka was safe, but God, she looked...

Helena sat heavily in the chair next to the bed. At least sitting down she couldn't see the hair that was growing back on the right side of her head.

At first, she just looked at Myka, cementing in her mind that she was back, that she was safe. The steady beeping of the machines calmed her. As long as the machines kept going, she wasn't imagining Myka.

After a while, however, the beeps began to run together. She could be imagining them; everybody knew that those machines belonged in a hospital room. The need to be sure that Myka was there pushed her to reach forwards and lightly run her finger over the back of Myka's hand.

Myka's skin was dry, and a few scratches were still visible, but it was there, she could feel it.

Then Myka's hand turned and gripped hers, their palms pressed together. She jumped as Myka jolted awake.

The panic and fear was clear on Myka's face as she looked around the room. It faded slightly when her eyes landed on Helena, and confusion briefly took its place.

"Helena?"

Her voice cracked slightly, but it washed over Helena like cool water.

"Hello," Helena replied.

Myka's eyes flicked down to her lips as she spoke. She said nothing when she looked back up, so Helena continued.

"I stayed with Christopher later than usual, and thought I would stop by for a short visit."

Myka again watched her lips, but shook her head.

"I can't understand," she said. "Too dark."

Helena nodded. She gestured to the lamp next to the bed. She turned it on when Myka nodded.

They both flinched away from the light. Myka’s grip on Helena’s hand clenched and unclenched. When Helena recovered, she noticed the fingers on Myka’s other hand rubbing together. She took the time before Myka recovered to just look at her. She was pale, even the bags under her eyes – barely visible beneath the glasses she must have fallen asleep in – didn't give much color. Her cheeks still clung to a gaunt appearance. Her curls lay flat.

It struck Helena that she had never seen Myka fully healthy.

When Myka finally opened her eyes, Helena was glad that the vivid green hadn't faded as well.

The door opened, pulling Helena's attention from Myka. Out of the corner of her eyes, however, she noticed Myka freeze up slightly, and her grip on Helena's hand tightened.

"You aren't supposed to be in here," the officer said, a Styrofoam cup in his hand. "How did you get in here?"

"You went to get coffee," Helena said, taking a guess at the drink. "I wanted to see my friend."

He groaned. "You have to leave, nobody is allowed in here right now."

"If you let me stay a bit longer, I won't tell that you left," Helena countered.

Torn, the officer shifted on his feet.

"Please," Myka spoke up. "Please let her stay."

The officer's resolve broke. "You have five minutes," he told Helena.

"Thank you, sir," Helena replied as he left.

She turned to Myka with a smile, but Myka was still staring at the door. Her expression was confused when she turned to Helena.

"Cop?"

Helena nodded. "In case...he tries to come back."

Myka stared at her. "I still can't understand you."

Helena huffed slightly. She looked around the room and was pleased to see a notebook and pen sitting by the lamp. She reluctantly took her hand from Myka’s to grab them. She tore the last few pages out and wrote what she had said.

Myka's face went blank as she read. "He won’t," she dully said.

Are you sure? Helena wrote.

Myka nodded. She looked at Helena closely. "Why are you here?"

Helena quickly wrote the answer. Myka's finger trailed over Christopher.

"How is he?"

He is well. He does better every day.

"Good." There was something in the word, in Myka's voice that Helena could not read. "How are the others?" Myka pushed forward before Helena could do so herself.

Anxious to see you. They were upset that they couldn't when you first arrived. They stayed a few hours after, but Jane finally convinced them to go home about two hours ago.

"Where’s Jane?"

She went with them, but she's coming back, as soon as the others are settled.

Myka nodded again.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Myka staring at the ceiling, Helena staring at Myka.

When the silence became too much, Helena slipped her hand into Myka’s again. Myka looked at her and everything that ran through Helena’s head seemed the wrong thing to say. Instead, she just smiled.

Myka smiled back. It was small and hesitant, but it was there and pulled a laugh from Helena that was half way to a sob.

A knock sounded from the door before it opened.

“I’m sorry, but you really do need to leave,” the officer said.

“Alright,” Helena said, still looking at Myka.

She took the papers back with one hand. She wrote I’ll come back later, promise on it before handing it back.

Myka nodded and squeezed her hand before letting go.

-oOo-

Myka woke in a haze she knew to mean another dose of meds had recently been pumped into her system. She let out a deep breath and turned her head to the side. She stared at the figure sitting next to her bed through half-open eyes – the drugs, and the sleep, and the lack of glasses keeping her from recognizing who it was.

As her senses cleared, the first thing she recognized was the hand resting over hers. She turned her hand over and folded her fingers over the side of the hand. She half expected to find Helena sitting next to her. She wasn't sure if that had actually happened, or if she had dreamed it, but she smiled slightly at the memory.

The hand squeezed hers and another hand ran through her hair.

Jane. It had to be Jane.

Sleep slowly drained from her mind, making the drug haze less potent. Soft light streamed into the room from the window over her bed.

Jane was smiling at her, her face just close enough for Myka to make out the smile. She said something, her lips moving quickly, but Myka couldn't make any of it out.

"Too early," she moaned.

Jane stopped talking and seemed to laugh. She held a stack of papers out.

Myka fumbled for her glasses before taking the papers.

It didn't have a message written on it for her. It was a legal document. A custody document.

She flipped to the bottom page. It was signed by her mom and Jane.

"Is this?" she asked, needing the confirmation for what she already knew.

Jane nodded.

Myka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She rubbed the papers slightly, feeling the thickness of them beneath her fingers. She nodded before opening her eyes. She looked at Jane and smiled.

"Thank you."

Jane reached over and threaded some of Myka's hair through her fingers. She smiled and nodded again. She leaned back and grabbed the notebook.

There are some people who want to see you.

Myka took a deep breath.

"Tracy first?"

Jane watched her for a few moments. Myka held her gaze.

"Okay." Jane stood. Myka watched her leave.

Tracy walked in a few moments later, stopping just a few steps through the doorway.

An odd weight lifted from Myka’s chest, one she hadn’t even known was there.

“Hey,” she said. Her voice cracked halfway through the word, the changing vibrations making her ears itch. She looked down at her lap.

A sharp sense of self-consciousness hit her.

Tracy had seen her hurt before, but had never really known.

Myka caught Tracy’s movement out of the corner of her eye as her sister moved to the seat. She looked up after a few moments, but didn’t know what to say. She was saved from finding something when Tracy held out a piece of paper.

I thought you would want to see one of your friends first. Pete probably.

“You’re my sister, Tracy.”

“So?” She took the paper. She struggled to use her leg to write on. Pete’s your brother now.

“You’re still my sister.”

Tracy couldn’t help the tears. She squeezed her eyes shut as she ducked her head.

Myka watched as Tracy’s shoulders began to shake. Tears dripped off the end of her nose.

Myka’s heart clenched. She held her arm out towards Tracy.

“C’m here.”

Tracy shook her head. Myka could barely make out that she was speaking at all.

“Gotta see your lips to understand.”

Tracy took a breath that made her shoulders rise before she looked up. Instead of speaking again, she took the paper.

I’m supposed to be the strong one right now.

“You don’t have to be.”

For a moment, Tracy’s mouth turned up slightly at the ends in what Myka assumed was a laugh that came out with a grimace.

“Come here,” Myka repeated.

Tracy took her hand and let Myka pull her from the chair to the edge of the bed. Tracy looked down at her lap. Her breathing shifted slightly; her breaths grew deeper as she tried to control them.

Myka let go of Tracy’s hand, only to grab her upper arm instead. Her muscles protested as she sat up. Her grip on Tracy tightened, and she practically slumped against her sister when she stopped moving.

Tracy shifted so they were facing each other and wrapped her arms around Myka as she pressed her face into Myka’s neck. Tracy took a deep breath before she started to sob.

Her body shook. Her muscles tensed. Her tears coated Myka’s neck.

Myka just tilted her head so the side of her face was pressed into Tracy’s hair, and held her sister.

-o-

Myka smelled like hospital. Her shoulders were sharp. Her grip was weak.

Tracy couldn’t hold back her sobs anymore. She clung to Myka, barely remembering to not squeeze.

Myka, however, seemed to be holding her with all of her strength and the pitiful grip just made Tracy’s sobs fall harder.

Myka murmured something Tracy guessed was supposed to be comforting. She shook her head against Myka’s neck.

She wasn’t supposed to fall apart. She was supposed to be strong for Myka. After so many years of Myka protecting her, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

But she had fallen apart and felt like she was still falling.

She pulled back after a few minutes, eyes closed and head down. Myka’s hands stayed on her shoulders before one moved to her cheek to raise her head. It was another moment before Tracy opened her eyes.

Myka had silent tears rolling down her cheek as she gave a hesitant smile.

“It’s okay now, Tracy,” she said.

Tracy screwed her eyes shut and nodded slightly. It wasn’t okay, Myka knew that, but it was better. She returned the smile when she opened her eyes. Myka brushed a tear off of her cheek before speaking again.

“You staying with mom?”

“Maybe.”

Myka nodded but there was something in her eyes Tracy barely caught before it vanished. “Good.”

Tracy reached up to take Myka’s hand off of her cheek. She stared at their joined hands as she lowered them too her lap. She took a deep breath before looking back up.

“Myka-“

“Don’t,” Myka cut her off.

“What?”

“Apologize. Please don’t.” Myka pulled her hand away and reached for the paper and pen. “Not now, at least.”

Tracy took the items and nodded. “Okay.”

Myka took a breath, and winced. She brushed off Tracy’s concern and took another breath. She pushed some hair behind her ear as she forced a smile.

“How’s school?”

-oOo-

Pete let out another huff and slid lower in his chair.

“You’ll get to see her soon,” Leena said from the chair next to him.

“I know,” he groaned. “I just…why did she want to see her first?”

“To make sure I’m alright.”

Pete’s eyes grew wide as Tracy walked into the waiting room.

“It’s alright,” she said before he could apologize. “I was surprised when she wanted to see me first, but,” she slumped into a chair. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and shook her head. “She always protected me. I think she just – “ she shrugged “ – wanted to make sure I was okay.” She let out a dark laugh. “It’s just like her, really.”

“Pete,” Jane said from the door.

His neck popped as his head whipped around. “Can I see her?”

She nodded. “Come on.”

He jumped up with a grin and quickly followed her.

His bad mood from before seemed to transfer to Claudia as she slid further down in her chair. Leena leaned over to bump her shoulder against Claudia’s.

“Don’t you start now,” she whispered.

Claudia glared at her out of the corner of her eyes.

-o-

Pete focused on the way Myka’s face light up as he walked into the room. He had to; otherwise he feared the reunion would not be as sweet.

So the way her eyes grew large, the width of her smile, her attempt to sit up slightly, that was what he paid attention to.

“Hey,” he said and signed.

“Hey,” she replied.

He stepped into the room slowly and sat in the chair. They just stared at each other for a few moments before Myka shook her head lightly and laughed lightly.

“Hey,” she repeated.

Pete closed his eyes and smiled when he opened them. “I don’t know what to say.”

She tilted her head slightly. Her eyes flicked from his hands to his mouth. “So say anything.”

He blinked a few times. “There’s a new Batman comic series I really like.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It has Red Robin in it.”

“Red Robin? Are you waiting for a yum?”

He took a breath, his shoulders moving up and down exaggeratedly. “You’re gunna have to read it.”

“I’ll get right on that.”

“Oh, speaking of reading, I got you a book, from the gift shop.” He looked down at his hands, then looked back up. “I forgot it.”

“Is’okay.” She grimaced. “I’m not really allowed to read right now. Concussion.”

“That sucks.”

She nodded. “Can’t do much.”

“Will you be able to watch TV when you come home?”

“Maybe.” She went to continue, but stopped. “Home.”

“It’s gunna be great, you, and me, and HG too, cause my mom has a bleeding heart, but it’ll be cool. I’ll be able to show you all the movies you need to see, and TV shows, and all that stuff.”

She stared at him with wide eyes. After a few moments, she shook her head. “Too fast.”

“Oh, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I…can I give you a hug?”

She nodded. She propped herself up as far as she could as he bent down and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He tried to pull back after a few moments, but she twisted her fingers in the back of his shirt. 

“Don’t let go,” she whispered. “Please, don’t let go.”

He nodded against the side of her head and squeezed gently.

“I won’t,” he whispered. Actually saying it cemented it in his mind; a pact to himself just as much as to Myka.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a short chapter, and the next will hopefully be up soon. A lot has happened since the last chapter. My role at my internship majorly messed with my depression, to a scary point, so I ended up going home...so I'm home, and looking for another job. And, yeah.

Jane stood back as Pete and Myka softly said goodbye.  She could see the hesitance in both of them.  The fingers on Myka’s free hand were in constant motion.  Pete kept moving one foot back only to move it up again.

Their conversation slowly puttered out, but neither let go of the others hand.

“Pete,” Jane said.

He turned to her, prompting Myka to do the same.

“Visiting hours are nearly over, and I’m sure Claudia and Leena want to see her.”

Pete nodded and turned to Myka.

“I’ll be back,” he let her know.  She nodded, then took a deep breath and let go of his hand.  

Jane put her hand on Pete’s shoulder as she led him out of the room.

“She’ll be okay,” she said as they walked down the hall.

He nodded.  The corners of his mouth quirked up slightly before he really smiled.

“Yeah.”

“Mrs. Lattimer.”

They both turned. Pete’s smile vanished at the sight of Detective Dugan and two officers walking towards them.

“Go to the waiting room,” Jane told Pete.

He opened his mouth to argue, but she leveled a glare that stopped him.  He eyed the officers briefly before heading down the hall. Jane watched him until he turned a corner, then turned back to the detective.

Dugan was twisting her wedding ring around her finger.  The officers were fidgeting behind her.

“We need to with Myka at some point,” Dugan slowly said.

“The FBI already did,” Jane replied.

Dugan nodded.  “We have specific questions…about the abuse, not the kidnapping.”

Jane closed her eyes and let a sharp breath out through her nose.  She looked back towards Myka’s room.

“How long can you wait?”

“Technically, until Warren is found, but we’d rather do it soon, so it doesn’t have to be dredged up later.”

“Can it at least wait until we get her home and settled?”

Dugan nodded.  “Of course.”

“And, no men in the room. It might trigger a panic attack.”

“That can be arranged.”

Jane nodded.  “Good.”

Dugan reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card.  “Contact me when you think it’ll be a good time.”

“I will.”

Dugan glanced around for a moment.  “Everyone in the department is glad that she’s back, and we’re doing everything we can to help find Warren.”

“I know,” Jane said. “Thank you.”

Dugan nodded, and walked back down the hallway, the officers trailing behind her.

Jane slid the card into her pocket.  She stared at Myka’s room for a moment before heading back to the waiting room.  She stopped and closed her eyes once she reached the door.  She reached into her pocket and ran her thumb across the card, feeling the texture of the raised ink.

She hated that Myka was going to have to go through another interview.  She understood why, but she hated it.  The pain that talking with the FBI agents had brought Myka was still fresh in her mind.  It must have been hard enough for the girl to think about what had happened, but to communicate it through her injuries…Jane couldn’t even imagine.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath before stepping into the waiting room.

Tracy was curled up in a corner seat.  Pete had claimed a seat next to Leena.  On Leena’s other side, Claudia was slumped in her chair.  Leena was softly talking to her, but Claudia seemed intent on not being swayed.

“You two ready?” Jane asked.

Claudia’s head snapped up instantly, but Leena watched her for a few moments before turning to Jane.

“I’m going to walk both of you down, but you can only go in one at a time.”

Leena nodded as she stood. Her hand was clasped in Claudia’s, who stayed seated.  Jane could just make out the way Leena tightened her grip around Claudia’s fingers. Claudia closed her eyes for a few moments before standing.

-o-

The warmth of Leena’s hand in her own kept Claudia’s mind from sliding down a cycle of panic.

She squeezed Leena’s hand as the memory of walking into Josh’s hospital room tried to sneak up. Leena squeezed back.

“It’ll be fine,” Leena finally whispered to break the silence.

“What if I forget the sign language Pete taught us?” Claudia asked, trying to stay focused on the present.

“Then use the notebook.”

“What if I forget what I want to say before I finish writing it?”

“You won’t.”

“But what if I do?”

Leena stopped, making Claudia do so as well.  There was an officer just outside a door a few feet away.  Claudia stared at him.

“It’s going to be fine,” Leena said.

Claudia looked at her through the corner of her eyes briefly, then down to the floor.  Of course it was going to be fine.  Why wouldn’t it be fine?  Everything was going to be fucking excellent.

“Why don’t you go in first?” Leena suggested.

Claudia glanced up at her. Leena’s expression was sincere and open. She nodded slightly.

“Go on.”

Claudia took a deep breath. She glanced back at Jane, who was a step behind them, then walked forward.  The officer watched her approach, but did nothing.  She could feel Jane walking just behind her and drew on that for strength.

She hadn’t had anyone before.  She had walked into Josh’s room with a stranger from child services and a cop. Now, she had Jane walking in with her, and Leena in the hallway, and Pete, and the Jinks’, and…

And Myka was smiling at her, and awake, and alive.

Claudia let out a laugh that was nearly a sob.  She hovered in the doorway until Jane’s hand on her back prompted her to move into the room.

As she moved closer, more details popped out at her.  Myka was smiling, yes, but there was strong hesitance behind it.  The hair on the right side of her head had been shaved and was growing back.  Her hands were in constant motion, wringing around each other.

“Hey.”  Myka’s voice was rough as she spoke.  The word seemed to catch in her throat before she forced it out.

“Hey,” Claudia replied, waving awkwardly.  Her hand stayed motionless in the air for a few moments before she forced it down.

Myka’s smile grew slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.  She gestured at the chair next to her bed.

“You can sit.”

Claudia silently moved to the seat.  She sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other knee pulled to her chest.  She stared at the floor, not sure of what to say. When she glanced up at Myka, she seemed to be in the same predicament.

Claudia couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up her throat.  Myka stared at her with a confused look, head tilted and eyebrow raised.

“I’m sorry,” Claudia said as the laughs died down.  After a few moments, she hurriedly signed the words.

Myka’s confusion cleared a bit, but was still there.

“I can’t think of anything to say,” she said, signing ‘can’t, think, speak’ as she did so.

Myka’s mouth twitched upwards.  “It’s okay.”

-o-

Leena smiled at the colors dancing between her friends.  Their auras were timid for the most part, staying close to their beings, but reached towards the other’s.  The air between them was full of blues and silvers twisting together, reaching for comfort.

The colors were brightest where they met – Myka’s faded to near nonexistence in other places, while Claudia’s grew cloudy.

“Do you want to go in soon?” Jane asked.

Leena thought for a moment. Myka looked her way and smiled.  “I’m alright, for now.  I think Claudia needs this.”


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are kinda pulling together right now, so updates, yay!

“Mom…Mom, pull over.”

Jane barely glanced in the rear-view mirror before pulling to the shoulder.  Myka was pale, her eyes wide.  She was fighting against Pete’s grasp as she reached for the door handle.

The car was still rolling when Myka broke Pete’s grip and pushed her door open.  She practically fell out of the car.  Pete instantly followed her, only just keeping his footing.  Jane slammed the brake, barely remembering the put the car into park before getting out.

She rounded the car to find Myka hunched over, vomiting into the grass.  Pete was holding her hair back as he looked frantically at his mother.  By the time Jane was next to her, Myka had thrown up her pitiful breakfast and had started dry heaving.  Jane rubbed her back gently, then, once the heaves subsided into sobs, pulled the girl into her.

She lowered them to the ground so Myka’s torso was cradled in her arms, her head pressed into Jane’s neck.  She rocked lightly, threading her fingers through Myka’s hair.  She lowered her head and pressed her lips to Myka’s temple.  She murmured softly, hoping that, even though Myka couldn’t hear her, it would help calm the girl.

Pete sat a few feet away, watching with wide eyes.

Once the sobs reduced to sniffles and hiccoughs, Jane looked at Pete over Myka’s head.  “Go back the car up.”

Pete nodded and jogged to the car.  He backed it up so it was between them and any oncoming traffic; then put the hazard lights on before getting out.

“She was…she was fine,” he whispered, sitting closer than he had before.  “Then she just…froze and went for the door.”

“It’s okay, Pete,” Jane told him.  “It’s a panic attack.  She should be fine.”

“Should be?”

She reached over and brushed some hair off of his forehead.  Myka moved a hand to grab her shirt at the movement.  “She will be fine.”

She looked past him He looked over his shoulder at the car.  Just past it, a semi was driving their way.

“Go wait in the driver’s seat,” Jane told him.  “I’ll sit with her in the back.”

Pete moved to the car again, slower than the last time.  Jane looked down at Myka.  She took a deep breath and started to stand.

-o-

Myka twisted her fingers into the shirt she was gripping when the warm body shifted.  The movement stopped and the hand on her head began to move through her hair again.  The gentle movement slowly calmed her heart and settled her mind.

Her throat burned.  Her fingers were sticky from vomit and her eyes stung from tears.  She turned her focus to her breathing.  Her chest shook with every breath in – hitched every few moments – simply stopped a few times.

She pushed further into Jane – who she slowly realized was holding her.  She flinched when the road vibrated.

“No,” she forced out.  Her lips brushed against Jane’s shirt.  “I can’t.”  Her bottom lip caught on the fabric for a moment.

Jane hugged her for a moment before pulling away just enough that they could look at each other.  Jane cupped the side of Myka’s face.

“You can do this,” Jane said. 

Myka shook her head.  The mere thought of getting back into the car sent the panic reeling.  “Please.”

“I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“Jane.”  Her throat closed.  She struggled to pull air in.  She let go of Jane’s shirt and grabbed her arm instead.  Her vision narrowed, the edges blurring.

Jane’s face centered in her sight.  Her lips were moving but Myka couldn’t focus enough to see what she was saying.

She could feel the worn out cushions beneath her.  She could feel the car vibrations – hunger deep in her stomach – her father’s stare.  Her heart pounded in her ears as fear crept up her spine.  It was going to burst out of her chest, she knew it.

A thumb began to rub her cheek.

She blinked.

She pulled a breath.

-oOo-

Myka was breathing easily as Pete pulled the car into the driveway.

It had taken Jane over thirty minutes after Myka had calmed from the second panic attack to convince her that it was safe to get back into the car.  Ten minutes after that, with her seatbelt digging into her side as she leant on Jane, Myka had fallen asleep.

Pete glanced into the rearview mirror before turning in his seat.

“Do you want me to carry her in?” he asked.

Jane shook her head.  “I’d rather wake her up.”  She took a breath.  “Come open the door on her side.”

She looked down at Myka as Pete moved around the car.  She took a deep breath and moved some hair out of Myka’s face before shaking her slightly.

Myka jolted awake.  She gasped as she looked around the car.  As soon as she saw the open door, she scrambled towards it, only to be held back by her seatbelt.  She tried for the buckle multiple times before she managed to free herself and stumble out.  Jane followed closely.

Myka was standing still, staring at the house.  Jane stepped up next to her.  Myka blinked as she turned to her.  Jane smiled.

“Do you want to see your room?”

Myka didn’t seem to catch what she was saying until the last word, which she considered before responding.

“Please.”

Jane nodded and started towards the house.  Myka stayed close to her, practically holding onto the hem of her shirt until they were upstairs and Jane pushed the door open.

Jane stepped into the room, then looked back at Myka.

“This is your room,” she said.

Myka slowly stepped inside.  She looked around briefly before turning back to Jane.

“Helena will be here in a week or so.”

Myka nodded, then stepped further into the room.

Jane watched as Myka inspected the room.  Her fingers trailed across the railing of the crib that stood at the foot of one of the beds.  She stepped towards the other bed and wrapped her hand around the post on the headboard.

She stood for a few moments, before reaching over and opening the window over the headboard.  The breeze pushed some of her curls back.  She took a deep breath, her shoulders moving up and down. 

Jane’s heart clenched as Myka pressed her fingers to the screen.

Myka turned to her a few moments later and nodded.  Jane wasn’t entirely sure what the nod was for, but she smiled.

“You hungry?”

Myka nodded again.

“What do you want?”

Myka shrugged.  Jane rolled her eyes.

“Come on.”

Myka looked around the room once more before following.  She paused when they walked through the dining room.

Pete was at the table.  Claudia, Leena, and Steve were sitting with him.

-o-

“We’ll come by tomorrow,” Claudia promised.  She looked over Myka’s shoulder, presumably at Jane, and rolled her eyes.  “After school, of course.”

Myka could sense the sarcasm in her words, even without being able to hear it.  “Can’t wait.”

Claudia grinned and threw her arms around Myka.  Myka jumped and froze for a moment before returning the hug.  Claudia pulled back after a bit, and waved as she turned to Leena, then spun back around and hugged Myka again.

Myka squeezed the younger girl.  “I’m alright,” she whispered.  “I’ll be here tomorrow.”

Claudia nodded into her neck.

“Promise,” Myka added.

Claudia pulled back again.  “Good.”  She gave Myka one last quick hug before leaving.

Myka smiled.  She turned back towards the dining room, where Pete was clearing the table.  Myka watched him go into the kitchen, taking the dishes to Jane, before she went upstairs.

She walked to the door – her door – and paused.  She took a deep breath before pushing the door open.  She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Part of her couldn’t believe it was going to be her room.  It was easily twice the size of her old room.  Two full size beds stood against the walls, opposite of each other, with a dresser between them.  The bed on the far side of the room had a crib at the end.  A desk was pushed into the corner next to the crib.

Boxes were stacked on the floor, all labeled in her mother’s hand writing. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about her mother packing her stuff, even if she had asked first.  It almost felt like her mother wanted her gone, but Myka didn’t know how she would have done it herself.

She moved the box on top – clothes – to the bed without the crib; with the window at the head.  She flicked the loose end of the tape with her thumb.

She needed to open the boxes.  Everything she owned was in those boxes –– but she couldn’t get herself to pull the tape.

She looked around the room.  It was so blank – the walls stark and the desk empty.  It reminded her of the hospital rooms.  She could change that if she could just open the boxes.

She flinched when the door was pushed open.  After seeing Pete walk into the room, she closed her eyes and breathed deep to steady her heart.  When she opened her eyes, Pete was watching her closely.

“You okay?” he asked.

She looked back at the box.  “I can’t.”

His hand appeared on the box after a few moments.  She looked up.

“Should I open it, or burn it?” he asked.

She stared at him for a moment before she smiled slightly.  “Don’t know.”

He tilted his head.  “Your clothes?”

“Need pajamas, but…”

He blew out his cheeks, then pushed the air through his lips.  “Be right back.”

He practically bounced out of the room; she stared at the door in shock.  He was back in the room before she recovered.

“Here.”  He held out a bundle of clothes.

She took them slowly and inspected them.  After a moment, a small laugh forced its way out.  It was the same wrestling shirt he had given her the other times she had stayed over.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

They watched each other for a moment.  Myka raised an eyebrow.

“Oh,” Pete said, struggling to keep a straight face.  “You want me to leave.”

She laughed, actually laughed.  It bubbled up her chest, making her shoulders shake; the injured one groaned at the movement.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple before leaving.

-oOo-

Myka stared at the wall, trying to forget her nightmare behind the shadows thrown onto the paint in the moonlight.

She blinked.  The black of her eyelids were upholstery; stale air invaded her lungs.

She jolted upright, breathing hard, eyes wide open, hands wringing.  Cool air hit the back of her neck.  She spun and stared at the open window.  The moon reflected off the pool below.  The people in the next yard were lounging round a fire pit.

She blinked.  The black of her eyelids were black; night air flowed through her.

She shook her head and stood.  She trembled slightly, her legs weak.  She pulled the blanket off of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the room.  She glanced at Pete’s door.  He had said that she could go to him, but…she shook her head and limped down the stairs.  She couldn’t disturb him.

She wandered around the first floor, turning on every light she passed, until she reached the living room.  After turning on the lights, she stopped in front of the DVD case.  She quickly pulled out a case with Mickey Mouse surrounded by cartoons her tired mind couldn’t place.

With the previews playing, she curled up on the couch.

She fell into a blur as she watched the animation.  Sprites and cherubs danced across the screen.  Brooms flooded a castle and dinosaurs evolved.

The colors calmed her.  When Pete appeared through the entrance, she recognized him instantly.  She didn’t jump.  Her heart didn’t race.

He went around the other way to the kitchen and reappeared a few minutes later holding two bowls.  He handed one to her as he sat next to her.

She smiled at the ice cream and shifted so she could put her head on his shoulder.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, quick update, woohoo.

The Goodwill was practically empty.  The older man behind the counter was checking out an even older man.  A woman was pulling a toddler through the store.

Myka stayed close to Jane as they flicked through the racks.  Jane pulled a shirt out.  Myka glanced at it before shaking her head.  Jane rolled her eyes as she put the shirt back.

Myka watched as Jane continued down the aisle of clothes she would never wear.  She ran a hand through her hair, cut short less than an hour ago so the area shaved around her stitches didn’t stand out so much.  Her fingers moved through her hair much easier, but the shortness of it caused her hand to practically fall out at the end and hit her back.

She looked around the store.  The woman was watching her over a rack of boy’s jackets, only to quickly look away when she noticed Myka looking.

Myka sighed and turned away from Jane.  She didn’t want any of the clothes she was suggesting.  They were too…Myka couldn’t actually put words to what was wrong with them, just that none of them were her.  They all would fit more in Tracy’s wardrobe than her own.

She wandered through the store, aware of Jane watching her.  She let her hand brush along the clothes as she walked, not really paying attention.  Her mind was too occupied with the last plan for the day – a trip to the police station.  She knew Jane was trying to distract her, and she appreciated it, but it was far from working.

She stopped randomly and found herself at the long sleeved men’s shirts.  She pulled out a grey and blue flannel that caught her eye and looked it over.

She looked over at Jane, who had started to walk over to her.

“This,” she said.

Jane inspected the shirt, then smiled at her.

They left the Goodwill less than thirty minutes later with a few more flannels, a couple of t-shirts, and two pairs of jeans they had to get from the men’s section because of how long her legs had gotten.

After visiting a local clothing store, they stopped at an eclectic shop across the street from Ted’s.  Assorted clothes lined one wall, and furniture pieces from different eras were set up in the back.

Myka looked around listlessly.  Jane thought it would be good if she got something to decorate the room.  She flipped through a crate of movie stills, from movies she had never heard of.

She hadn’t had anything decorating her old room, save the stains from the glow-in-the-dark stars, and had no idea what to even look for.  She sighed as she reached the end of the movie stills and turned to a table of nick-knacks.

She picked up a clock, one of those old bronze ones with the large bells on top.  The roman numerals were faded on the aged paper.  She rubbed the glass over the 4 spot; instead of IV, it was IIII.  She turned the clock over to check the price, only to have it gently taken from her hands.

She looked up at Jane.

“Don’t worry about the price,” Jane told her.  “Do you want this?”

Myka bit her bottom lip before nodding.

“Okay.  Have you found anything else?”

“Not yet.”

“Alright.”

Myka moved through the store, occasionally picking something up, only to put it back down quickly.  She couldn’t focus as the time passed and it got closer to their appointment at the station.

She eventually found herself staring at a painting, her head tilted to one side.  The painting was not quite bright, but not quite dark.  The top half was sunset – blues and oranges over the savannah.  The bottom half was black; silhouettes over a tree and a group of giraffes cut up into the sunset.

She looked at it for a few more moments before turning to find Jane.  The woman was a few feet away, watching her.

“This,” Myka said.  “I want this.”

She couldn’t explain the draw to the painting – maybe the openness, the freedom the animals had; perhaps the contrasting colors.  She didn’t know why, but she knew she wanted it.

“Okay.  I’ll pay, then we have to go.”

Myka nodded.  She watched Jane go to the register before walking to the front of the store.

The street was slowly filling with other teenagers.  She glanced at a clock on the wall.  School had just ended.  It was a Friday, so Pete was going to be waiting for them when they finished at the station.

She was about to go back to Jane, when Leena’s car pulled into a spot in front of Ted’s.  Leena and Claudia climbed out and walked into the diner together.  Myka stared at the diner for a moment, then smiled.

Soft pressure on her arm pulled her attention away and to Jane, who had walked up to her.

“Are you ready?” Jane asked.

Myka shrugged.  “I guess.”

-oOo-

Claudia looked everywhere but at Leena.  Her hands.  The wall.  The door to the kitchen.

They had already ordered, had sat in silence for a few minutes, but had yet to approach the reason they were there.  Claudia reached over and grabbed the dessert menu propped against the ketchup.

“So,” Leena said after a few moments.  “Are we getting pie or ice cream?”

“What’s pie without ice cream?” Claudia replied without thinking.  She glanced up at Leena, then looked back down, fighting a blush.  She put the menu back and turned to look at the pictures above their booth.

Leena laughed lightly.  “Aren’t you the one who asked me out?”

“Yeah, but…”  Claudia shrugged.

Leena laughed again.  Claudia couldn’t help but smile at the sound.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“I know.  Me too.”

“Yeah?”

“Nervous.  Excited.  Anxious.  Not sure where to start.”

“Bout sums it up.  Also, kinda hungry.”

“It shouldn’t be too long until our food gets here.”

Claudia looked at Leena for a few moments.

“I like you,” she suddenly said.  Her eyes went wide and she spun around, making sure nobody was able to hear.

“Well, I’m glad that’s cleared up,” Leena said.  Her mouth was pulled up in an easy smile.

Claudia narrowed her eyes at her, but Leena just took a drink of her Sprite.

“I mean, I like you, and I want to be with you.  I really do.”

“You know why we shouldn’t.”

“You keep throwing our ages out, but what if I don’t care?”

“The law does.”

Claudia pouted and sank in her seat.  “What the law doesn’t know can’t hurt us.”

“Claudia…”

The rest of her sentence was cut off as their food arrived.  They took a few bites until the waitress moved to another table, then Claudia sighed.

“I looked; the age of consent in South Dakota is sixteen.  That’s just over a year away for me.”  She shrugged as she swirled her spoon in her chili.  “Besides, I don’t care about the sex or anything.”

“You don’t?”

Claudia shook her head and stared at her food.  “Well, I kinda do, but I care more about just being with you.”

“What do you mean?”

Claudia looked up.  Leena was watching her closely, mouth slightly parted, eyes soft.

“Every other…relationship I’ve had was mostly physical, or my trying to be normal by dating a guy.  With you, I just…I don’t know, want to be able to cuddle on the couch, or hold hands while walking down the street, or something.”

Leena stared at her for a few moments before smiling.

“That sounds nice.”

“Yeah?”

Leena nodded.  “I might just –“

“Claudia!”

They both turned.  Todd was walking towards their table, grinning at Claudia.  A group of boys was watching him from where they were hovering around the door.

“Todd,” she gasped.  She hadn’t even thought of Todd with everything going on.

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it’s…you know, with everything.”  She stumbled over her words as she glanced at Leena for help. 

Leena was staring at her food, eating silently.  Claudia’s stomach dropped.

Todd grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.  “You’re friends with Myka Bering, aren’t you?”

She nodded.

“I’m sorry.  How is she?  I heard she’s out of the hospital.”

“She’s okay, I guess.”  She shrugged.  “As okay as she could be.”

“Yeah, right.”

He shifted from foot to foot.  “When you can, do you want to, meet up?  There’s a new movie I’ve been wanting to see.”

Claudia “Umm, I’ll have to let you know when I’m free.  There’s just a lot going on.”

“Yeah, I know.  It’s cool.  Just let me know.”  He bent down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before walking away.

Claudia watched as he joined his friends and left the diner.  She blinked a few times before turning.  Leena was still looking down, her plate empty.

“Leena?” she quietly asked.

“I can’t be anything with you if you’re with him.  It’s not fair to any of us.”

“Leena.”

Leena looked up and shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Claudia.”  She pulled her wallet out and put some money on the table.  She took Claudia’s hand and squeezed it before walking away.

-oOo-

Detective Dugan stared at her notepad for a few moments.  She wanted to tear the last few pages out and forget everything.  She looked back up at the girl sitting across from her, seemingly trying to vanish into the office chair.

She had never had any illusions that every citizen of Jefferson was perfect; she wouldn’t have a job if that was so.  She had just never imagined that something like this was being hidden by one of the town’s better known families.

Part of her wanted to dismiss it, pretend it had never happened.  She had passed through Bering and Sons multiple times over the years.  She was sure she had seen father and daughter interact at least once, but couldn’t think of anything that had stood out; nothing that pointed towards abuse.  Surely she would have noticed if there was.

She couldn’t dismiss it, though, not with how small Myka Bering looked; not with the stitches still visible on the side of her head; not when she needed someone to make sure she understood everything because her father had taken her hearing from her.

“Is there anything else?” she asked, praying that there wasn’t; that she could let Myka leave and begin to put everything behind her.

Myka glanced at Jane but said nothing.

“Okay,” Dugan said.  She closed her pad as she struggled to find something else to say. 

“You’ll let us know if any news comes?” Jane asked, seeming to notice her hesitance.

“Of course,” she replied.  She took a deep breath and looked at Myka.  “I am sorry, Myka, that this happened.”

Myka held eye contact for a moment before dropping her gaze.

Dugan closed her eyes and took a breath.  “You can go, Mrs. Lattimer.  I promise we will contact if anything happens.”

Jane nodded and put a hand on Myka’s shoulder.  The girl didn’t move.

Dugan stood.  “We’ll give you a few moments.”

She gestured at her officer to follow her out.

“I lied.”

She froze, hand on the doorknob, and turned back.  Myka was looking at her, her expression blank.

“Before, with the hit and run.”  Myka took a deep breath.  “I lied.”

Dugan slowly moved back and sat.

“It’s okay,” she said.  “I understand why you would, but you can tell us now.”

Myka took a deep breath.  “I said I didn’t remember anything, but I do…all of it.”  She swallowed and looked back to her lap.  “He picked me up, after fighting at school.  He hit me.  Nothing major, but…”  She shrugged.  “I was running away.”  She looked at Jane.  “To your house.  I knew you would help me.  Then the car hit me, and my dad was in the room when I talked to the cop, and…”  She shook her head.  “And I lied.”

Dugan closed her eyes for a few moments.  Could they really have gotten her safe then?  Before any of this had happened?

She opened her eyes to Jane softly talking to Myka.  She took a breath before leading her officer out of the office.

“Dugan,” the officer said once the door was closed.  Her voice trembled slightly.

“I know,” Dugan sighed.  “I know.”

-oOo-

“Look, she’s out of the hospital and doing as good as she can,” Pete sighed into his phone.  “You need to come see her.”

There was brief static from the other end before a reply.

“I’m trying,” Sam said.  “But it’s not as easy as you seem to think.”

“It seems pretty damn easy.”

“Well, it’s not, okay?  It’s not like I live a few towns over anymore.  I live a few fucking states over.”

“Whatever, man.  All I know is, it’d probably do Myka good to see you.”

“Yeah, sure.”  Sam groaned.  “I gotta go.”  There was a moment pause.  “I’ll keep trying, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Pete hung up and tossed his phone onto the couch.  Sam had been resisting since Myka had first been taking.  He had come back to give a statement, but that was it.  They hadn’t even seen him then.  He had come and gone in a day.

He flopped onto the couch, just missing his phone, and grabbed the remote.  He was still flipping through the channels when his mom and Myka walked in.  His mom stepped into the living room, while Myka glanced at him before heading upstairs.

“She okay?” he asked.

“It’s been a long day,” Jane sighed.  “Let her rest until dinner.”

-o-

Without opening her eyes, Myka pulled her blanket over her head and rolled away from whoever was poking her shoulder.  She groaned as the poking continued.  She rubbed her ear and was pulling at the lobe when her shoulder was shoved.

She threw the blanket off and glared at Pete.

“What?”

“You awake?”

She rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket back up.  “No.”

He started to poke her again.

“Let me sleep,” she said.

He kept poking.

She let out a puff of air, then froze.  She bolted up, her blanket falling to her waist, Pete’s hand hitting her shoulder.

“Is something ringing?”

His eyes flicked around as his brow furrowed.  “No.  Do you hear…?”

“Ringing, yeah.”

They stared at each other for a few moments before scrambling.  Pete was through the door in seconds.  Myka stumbled over the blankets for a moment before following.  Neither stopped until they skidded into the kitchen.

Jane looked up that them with wide eyes, the knife in her hand still chopping carrots.

“Ringing,” Myka gasped.  Pete just pointed at her.  “I hear ringing.”

The knife stopped.  Jane’s eyes widened.  “Really?”

Myka nodded.

Jane moved around the island and pulled her into a hug.  Myka clung to her as her body started to shake with happy sobs.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait

*One Week Later*

The bass pounded through Myka, a deep rhythm of drums that made her heart jump and her pencil skid across the paper.  She let herself get caught up in the music, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the chair.

The music was still there - weak and distorted, but still there.  It didn’t vanish.

For the first time in weeks, the world didn’t vanish when she closed her eyes.  Pete was grinning at her from across the table when she opened her eyes.

Both of their smiles dropped when the music cut out.

Myka jumped when a figure appeared in the corner of her eye.  She turned her head slowly, then looked back down with a sheepish smile.  She was sure Jane rolled her eyes as she pulled the notebook away and closed it.

Myka looked up at Jane when Jane placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Why?” Jane asked.

The small smile fell as Myka took in Jane’s obvious concern.

“I was bored,” she quietly said.  “And the silence...”

Jane sighed as she sat.  She reached over and took the pencil from Myka’s hand.

“I know this has to be frustrating.”

Myka looked down at her hands.  A few moments later, her notebook was slid towards her, open to the last page.

You won’t recover if you don’t let yourself.

“I know.”

You have an appointment in two days, the doctor may lighten up, but you have to behave until then.

“Okay.”

Myka looked up when Jane moved from her peripheral.  The woman was moving around the table towards Pete.  They spoke for a few moments before Jane slapped Pete on the back of the head.  Pete rolled his eyes then grinned at Myka as he rubbed the back of his head.

She smiled back, then turned to Jane, who was sitting next to her again.  Jane took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Your mother...she wants to talk to you.”

Myka’s breath stopped for a moment.  She hadn’t seen her mom since the hospital.

“What?”

“She wants to meet at the park.”

“Why?”

Jane shook her head.  “I can’t tell you.”

Myka took a deep breath and stared down at the table.  It was a few moments before she looked back up.

“When?”

“She’s there now.”

Myka sighed.  “Fine.”

Thirty minutes later, they were walking through the park.

Myka stayed a few steps behind Jane.  The knot in her stomach and the bands around her chest tightened with each step.  She didn’t want to know what her mom was going to tell her.  What could be that important?

She froze when the trees cleared, revealing Jeannie sitting at a picnic table.  Jane made it a few more steps before noticing that she had stopped.  She walked back and stood so she was blocking Jeannie.

“You can do this.”

Myka closed her eyes.  It had been one thing to have her mother come to her hospital room; it was another to walk up to her freely.  “I don’t know.”

Jane squeezed her shoulder, prompting her to open her eyes.

“You can.”

Myka shook her head.

“Yes,” Jane replied.  “I’ll be with you, the whole time.”

Myka reached forward and grabbed Jane’s hand.  Jane nodded at her before turning.

Jeannie was watching them, but looked down as soon as she noticed them walking over.

Myka squeezed Jane’s hand.  Her heart thudded; the pounding in her ears drowning out any noise she could have possibly heard.

Jeannie stood as they walked closer.  She kept her eyes on a folded piece of paper in her hands, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other every few seconds.  She didn't look up until Jane and Myka stopped on the other side of the table.

"Hi," she said.  She raised her hand in a small wave, only to lower it quickly when Myka didn't reply.  "Umm, we should sit."  She took her seat and waited for them to do the same.

Myka watched her blankly.  She had thought about it while walking over, but had no idea what Jeannie might want.  She really just wanted to get whatever it was out of the way.

"I don't really know how to say this," Jeannie said.  She rubbed the back of her neck.  "Warren, he..."

"Don't defend him."

Jeannie flinched.  "No, never.  Never again."  She deflated, her shoulders slumped. She shook her head slightly.  "Warren isn't your father."

Myka stared at her.  She had to have gotten it wrong.  There was no way...

"What?"

Jeannie bowed her head and took a deep breath.  She unfolded the paper and handed it to Myka.

Myka stared at her as she took the paper, and for a few more moments before looking down.  The paper felt new, but the folds were starting to tear at the ends.  Jeannie's handwriting looked forced with the perfection of multiple drafts.

And the words, what they meant.

It grew harder and harder for Myka to breath as she read.  It couldn't be true.  It had to be a joke - a cruel prank.  She had never imagined - dreamed maybe, in the beginning, but never allowed herself to even hope.

"Why?" she asked, still looking at the paper.  She shook her head as she folded the paper back up and put it on the table.  Without looking at Jeannie, she stood and started to walk away.

Her mind raced.  She couldn't focus on one thought.  Fragments briefly became coherent before racing away.

\- fifteen fucking years old - at least told me - is he - can't believe she didn't - she just let him - he has to be better -

They went on and on.  She managed to step over roots and around bushes, but branches brushed her from both sides.

\- he doesn't even know - never told him - could have been better - why now -

The thoughts were silenced by a loud horn and a rush of wind.  She jumped back, tripping on a root and landing hard.

She stared at the street in front of her.  Her leg ached.  A tingle started to creep up her neck.

Cars passed, just like her thoughts had, only there for a moment before racing away.

\- red truck - white truck - black convertible - green jeep - white van -

A hand rested on her shoulder.  She turned her head enough to see Jane, then looked back at the street.

"This is where I was hit."

Jane squeezed softly.

"If she knew..."  Myka shook her head.  "Why didn't she...?  I mean, she-she could have...it could've...would've…”  She took a deep breath.  “I just don't understand."

Her voice cracked over the last words.  Jane pulled her into a hug.

Myka let herself be held as she stared at the street.

-oOo-

Jeannie picked at a splinter still attached to the picnic table.  She closed her eyes and leaned heavily on her phone.  It was a few more seconds before Zach answered.

"Hello."

"Hey, it's Jeannie."

"Yeah, how is...everything?"

"I told her."  She signed.  She squeezed her eyes shut, only to be assaulted by the image of Myka walking away.  The silence from the other end didn’t help.  “She just...walked away.”

“It...It had to have been a shock,” Zach slowly said.  “Give her time.”

“I know, I just…”

“Jeannie, I’m really sorry, but I can’t talk right now.”

“Oh, of course.  I’m sorry.”

His voice faded as she pulled the phone away and hung up.  She took a deep breath to keep the tears back.

She hadn’t expected a thrilled reaction from Myka, but she hadn’t...she actually didn’t know how she had expected Myka to react.  Had she even thought about it?

Her shoulders fell.  No matter how hard she tried, she only ever seemed to fail as Myka’s mother.

-oOo-

Jane absently stirred her tea as she stared out the window.  Myka was curled up in a deck chair, a plate sat on the table next to her, thankfully empty.  The book in her lap was apparently what her English class was reading.

She let go of the spoon before speaking.  “She’s been staring at the same page for half an hour.”

The grating of a stool on linoleum confirmed that she wasn’t alone anymore.  She finally looked down, pulled a second cup over and filled it as well.

"How is she?"

Jane shook her head as she turned.  She stepped to the kitchen island and handed over the second cup.  She took a sip of her own tea, then put the cup down - it had long since turned lukewarm.

"I don't know," she said.  "Sometimes she's okay, but other times-" she shook her head as she sat next to Mrs. Fredric.  “And now, with what her mother just told her.  She hasn’t talked since we got home; she’s just been out there, staring at that page.”

“She has been through a lot.”

"I mean, I expected it.  I would have been amazed if she had come out of everything fine, but..."

“It makes it no easier,” Mrs. Fredric finished the sentence for her.

“No, it doesn’t.”  Jane deflated.  "I just...I wish there was more I could do."

Mrs. Fredric took a drink.  "I've contacted someone who might be able to help her."

“Help her how?”

“Do you remember Abigail Cho?”

"I thought she left the Warehouse."

"She did, and will not be returning.  She has made it clear that she is only doing this for Myka.”

Jane sighed.  “I want to talk to Myka about it first.  I’m not going to force her to do anything.”

“She may not be so receptive of the idea.  If she refuses, and does not get help…” she trailed off and took a drink.

“Then at least let me explain to her why.”

Mrs. Fredric nodded.  She opened her purse and put the business card she pulled out in front of her cup.  “Contact Abigail when you believe it is the right time.”

Jane reached over and picked up the card.  When she finished reading it, Mrs. Fredric was gone.

Jane sighed.  She slipped the card into her pocket as she stood.  She picked up both teacups and walked to the sink.  She set them down carefully, then looked at Myka through the window.

The girl hadn’t moved, but as Jane watched, she turned the page in her book.

Jane filled a glass with water and headed outside.  She got Myka’s attention before sitting next to her and handing her the water.

How are you? she signed.

Myka shrugged. She put the water on the circle table between the chairs and turned back to her book.

Jane ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath.  She reached over and tapped the corner of Myka’s book.  Myka tensed for a moment before turning to her.  Jane pulled the business card out and held it towards Myka.

Myka took it slowly, then read it carefully.  She stared at the card in silence for a few moments before holding it towards Jane.

“I’m fine,” she said.  “I don’t need that.”

Jane wrapped her hand around Myka’s.  After a few moments, Myka looked up at her.

“It’s okay to need help.”

Myka slid her hand free, leaving the card in Jane’s grasp, and stood.  “I don’t need help.”

Jane watched her walk back inside, the leaned back and closed her eyes.  Couldn’t something just go right?

-oOo-

Myka trailed her fingers along the handrail as she walked up the stairs.  She stared at her hand.  Numbness spread from her fingers, and up her arm.

She blinked.  The numbness vanished.

A moment later, her foot landed on air instead of another step.  She wrapped her fingers around the handrail for support.  Her heart pounded in her ears.

She took a deep breath the calm herself before stepping towards her room.  She paused and glanced at Pete’s door - open just enough for her to see Pete sitting on his bed, reading a comic book.  She didn’t want to be bothered, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone either.

She walked to Pete’s door and knocked on the doorframe.  He looked up and smiled.

“Can I read in here?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, then nodded.

She stepped into his room, and hesitated.  He watched her, then shifted to the foot of the bed.  He jerked his head to the spot he had left, prompting her to cross the room and take it.  She shifted his pillows slightly and leaned into the corner of the room.

She tried to get into her book.  Instead, she found herself alternating between staring at the corner of the page, and reading the same sentence repeatedly.

She was still on that sentence when Pete got her attention by nudging her foot.  She looked up at him over her book.

“You need to leave,” he said.

“What?”

“You need to leave,” he repeated.

“Oh, okay.”  She slowly got out of his bed and walked towards the door.

“You need to leave.”

No matter how much the words cut through her, she couldn’t get herself to turn and ask Pete what he meant.  She kept walking and didn’t stop until she was facing the wall where her door was supposed to be.

“You need to leave.”

Pete’s voice was right behind her, colder than she had ever heard it.  She turned to find him standing a few feet from her.  Something hit her foot, but she was too caught in Pete’s glare to see what it was.

“Pete?”

“You need to leave.”

“Stop saying that.”

He stepped closer to her.  Something hit her foot again.

“You need to leave.”

She took a step back, hitting the wall.

Her eyes opened as her foot was hit again.  A blurry figure loomed over her.  She tried to push herself away, but was already pressed into a corner.  Her frantic movements, however, straightened her glasses, and shifted the figure into clarity.

Pete was watching her with a concerned expression.

“Don’t make me leave,” she mumbled.

His eyebrows raised, and his eyes grew wide in shock.  He shook his head.  “Never.”

His words from her dream ran through her head.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She looked down at her book before closing it.

“Should probably go to bed,” she said.

Pete waited until she looked up to respond.  “Big day tomorrow, right?  HG moving in and all.”

She shrugged.  She was excited to see Helena, but she didn’t feel excited.  She glanced at the door, dreading the idea that her door was actually gone.  “Can I...sleep in here?”

“Course.”

Her eyes started to close as  they stared at each other.  He stood, announced that he was going to the bathroom, and left the room.

Myka slowly shifted down until she was laying with her back pressed against the wall and she was hugging Pete’s second pillow.  She maneuvered the blanket from under her and curled beneath it.

She slipped into a haze of exhaustion and warmth, a much different haze than before.  She didn’t know how much time had passed before gentle prodding snuck through the haze.  She half opened one eye to see Pete watching her.

He said something, then signed it, but she couldn’t be bothered to even try to understand.  He raised an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes with a grin.  He turned, but her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

They stared at each other for a few moments, Pete waiting for Myka to let him know what she wanted, and Myka trying to figure it out herself.

She dropped his arm, and pulled hers back under the blanket.  “Sorry.”  She burrowed down into the blanket, avoiding Pete’s eyes.

He apparently didn’t like that.

Her breath was forced out of her as his entire weight landed on her.

“Gedoff,” she slurred, her face pushed into the pillow.

Her body jerked as he poked her in the side.  He did it again, and she barely managed to hold back a squeal.

She glanced at him, her eyes growing wide at his grin.

“Pete, don’t.”

Any further warnings were cut off as he started to tickle her.  Myka gasped between laughs and futilely tried to push his hands away.  She tried to push away from him, but, with her back already against the wall, had nowhere to go.  Eventually, she forced herself to go limp, which made him stop and bend closer.

She smirked and pushed him away by his face.  He rolled over so he was on his back next to her.  He moved one arm under his head and stared at the roof.

“Lattimer, I swear,” she said once she got her breath back.  “If you tell anyone…”

He turned his head slightly and winked.

She groaned.  She wanted to be annoyed, but couldn’t find it in herself.  Lying there with Pete almost felt like when she was younger, when she and Tracy were closer.

She lifted up part of the blanket and tossed it over Pete before scooting closer to him herself.  He accepted it when she rested her head on his shoulder and draped an arm across his torso.

The rise and fall of his chest started to lull her back into the haze.  She was warm, comfortable, and - with Pete there - felt safe.  She was mostly asleep when Pete moved to turn off the lamp on the nightstand.

Myka closed her eyes and focused on Pete’s breathing, and her own, and how they slowly began to match.

“Jane wants me to talk to somebody.  She thinks I need help, that I need to talk about everything.”  She took a deep breath and shook her head.  “I just want to forget.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Helena moves in, yay!


	45. Chapter 45

Myka could barely focus on the movie Pete had put on.  She would catch a few moments, a line or two, then her attention would be dragged to the window and the driveway.

Logically, Myka knew that there was no way Jane would be back, she probably hadn’t even reached the hospital yet, but...still.

Helena was moving in.

Myka was excited, but nervous.  She had never shared a room before, and had no idea what to expect.

She glanced out the window again.

What if they ended up hating each other?  What if Helena was a slob?  What if she had to sleep with the window closed?

Myka looked back at the TV, to find the movie paused.  She turned to Pete.

“I think you should see the counselor,” he told her.

She stared at him.  “What?”

“I think...it’ll really help.”

She shook her head and looked at her hands.  She had fallen asleep quickly after telling Pete, and hadn’t expected him to bring it up.  She definitely hadn’t expected him to agree with Jane.

He nudged her slightly.  She looked at him.

“It helps, promise.”

“How do you know?”

Pete shrugged, and rubbed the back of his neck.  “I’ll be right back.”

She watched him leave the living room, then looked outside again.

She had no idea what Pete was going to get, and wasn’t sure she wanted to.

She didn’t need help.  She needed to forget.

Movement drew her attention to Pete walking back into the room.  He was moving slowly, holding something carefully.  He handed it to her before sitting again.

It was a picture of a girl with the same jawline as Jane and the same deep eyes as Pete.  Her hair was in a loose ponytail, curls fell over her shoulder.

When Myka looked up, Pete was still looking at the picture with a sad expression.

“Who is she?” she gently asked.

He looked up and shook his head slightly.  When he replied, he didn’t speak, only signed.

‘My sister.’  A smile tugged at his lips.  ‘J.’  The smile vanished.  ‘Died, same fire as dad.’

Myka looked back at the picture.  The girl, J, looked so happy, it was hard to believe that she could be dead.

“I’m sorry.”

Pete tapped the picture slightly.  Myka looked closer.

A hearing aid was just visible in J’s ear.

Myka looked back at Pete.  He nodded, then took the picture.  He stared at it, his face blank.

Myka’s chest constricted.  She looked back at the picture.  “I’m sorry.”

When he responded, he was speaking again.

“I had a counselor after, and another when we first moved here.  They help.  They really help.”

Myka closed her eyes and bowed her head.  She didn’t know how to respond.  She didn’t know how to explain how she felt to Pete.

“I’ll think about it.”

-oOo-

Helena ran her knuckle along the sole of Christopher’s foot.  He kicked slightly.

She smiled before bending down and pressing her lips to his forehead.

“I will be back soon, promise.”  She wiped a tear from her cheek.

She was really about to leave him.  He was still so small, still so delicate, and she was going to leave.  Her parents had caught a flight back to England that morning, and she was going to move back to Jefferson.

God, she was going to be so far from him.

“Mummy’s going home.  Once you’re strong enough, you’ll come with.  You will love it, I promise, and you will love everyone.  Jane, and Pete, and,” her smile grew for a moment.  “And Myka.”

A knock pulled her attention from Christopher.  One of the nurses was standing in the doorway, giving Helena a sad smile.  Helena nodded.

“I will be back, love.”  She pressed another kiss to his forehead before passing him to the nurse.

“Mrs. Lattimer is waiting for you downstairs,” the nurse said.

“Thank you.”

Helena watched as the nurse prepared Christopher, then stepped out of the room.  She looked over her shoulder one last time, then started down the hallway.

Her heart grew heavier with each step.  It had been hard enough to leave the hospital, but this, to be hours away…

She stepped into the elevator and slumped against the back wall.  The doors closed, and her chest tightened.  She couldn’t do it.  She couldn’t leave him.

She reached up and pressed her palm against her chest.  Her fingers pushed into the flesh above her clavicle, her thumb into her throat.  Her heart beat into her hand.  She slowed her breathing and focused on the beat calming.

There was no point in panicking; she had to go.  She knew that.  She wouldn’t be able to stay in the hotel the entire time, not with her parents gone, not with them unwilling to continue to pay for the hotel room.

The doors opened.

She took a deep breath before stepping out.

-oOo-

A group of kids laughed.  A toddler shrieked with joy.  Claudia turned her music up to drown them out.

She glanced around before turning back to her notebook.  She ran her pencil over a line, darkening it.  She wasn’t sure what she was drawing, maybe an actual circuit board.  Maybe some other form of elaborately lined square.

A figure stopped in front of her.  Her headphones were pulled away from her ears.

She startled, her notebook slipping off of her lap.

“Sorry,” Todd said as he bent and picked it up.

“It’s okay,” she replied.

He sat, and smiled at her.  “So, what’s up?”

She lowered her head, eyes closed, one lip between her teeth.  Her fingers tightened around her notebook, the spiral edge dug into her skin.

“Todd,” she started before her throat closed.  His voice was so happy; how was she supposed to do this?

She felt him move closer.  “Something wrong?”

Claudia took a deep breath.  Quickly, just do it quickly.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

She tried to say something else, but it caught in her throat.  She shook her head.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

She opened her eyes and looked at him.  His eyebrows were furrowed just a bit.  He looked down, then around for a few moments, before blinking a few times and turning his attention back to her.

“Are you…” he cut off, shook his head, then started again.  “Are you breaking up with me?”

She nodded.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“I’m so sorry,” she finally said.

“No,” he replied.  “It’s fine; figures even.”  He stood, his back to her, his hands shoved in his pockets.  “Happens every time.”

“Todd?”

“No, it’s fine.  Find a girl I like, and I’m just not good enough.”

“...Todd.”

He glanced over his shoulder.  “I’ll see you, Claudia.”

“Todd.”

He walked away, not looking back.  Claudia pulled her notebook to her chest and blinked back her tears.

Relief hit her, dragging a weight off, but, she had never wanted to hurt Todd.  She did like him, as a friend at least.  He would have been great if she liked boys.

God, she really didn’t like boys, at all.

She pulled out her phone and pulled up Leena’s contact information.  She stared at it for a moment before closing it.

She wanted to tell Leena, she needed to, but - she glanced at Todd’s retreating figure - not just yet.

She stood, and walked off in the opposite direction.

-oOo-

Despite an entire day anticipating, Myka had no idea how to react when she saw Jane’s car pull into the driveway.

She just stared out the window as Jane stepped out.  She just stared as Helena appeared.  She just stared as they entered the house and stopped in the entrance to the living room.

She just stared, then she was standing, and crossing the room, and wrapping her arms around Helena.

Her body relaxed as Helena returned the hug.  She hadn’t seen the girl since leaving the hospital, and it felt... god she didn’t understand it.  She had only known Helena for, what, three months?  Then everything happened, and, now she felt, not necessarily safer, or more relaxed than with anyone else, but, more secure maybe, more grounded.

Helena was grinning at her when they pulled apart.

“Hey,” Helena said.

“Hey,” Myka replied.

She glanced at Jane, who was also grinning.  The woman jerked her head upwards.

“Why don’t you show her your room.”

Myka nodded and looked back at Helena.

“C’mon.”

She grabbed Helena’s hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

“I did my best to clean, but it’s still kinda a mess.  Sorry.  We can switch beds if you want. Actually, we can move the furniture as much as you want.”  She had no idea why the words were coming out of her mouth, but she couldn’t stop them, and added a few more unnecessary comments by the time she pushed the door open.

Helena stepped into the room, took it in, then looked at her.  “This is a mess?”

It took Myka a moment to understand what she was saying, then shrugged, “The way Pete stacked your boxes bothers me.”

Helena rolled her eyes with a smirk.  She ran a hand over the haphazard boxes as she walked through the room.  She said something Myka didn’t catch, but guessed must have been good from the way Helena was smiling.

“You probably have time to unpack a little before dinner,” Myka suggested, sitting on the edge of her bed.  “If you want to, of course.”

Helena watched her for a moment, then sat next to her.  She said something.  Her expression was open and concerned.  Myka stared at her, then started laughing.  Confusion crossed Helena’s face.

“Your accent.  I still have trouble reading your lips,” she explained.

Helena blinked, then smiled.  She leaned towards the nightstand and grabbed her notebook.  She wrote swiftly, but when she passed the book over, it was the neatest handwriting Myka had ever seen.

Are you sure that you are alright with sharing the room?

“Of course I am.”

Helena looked down, then tapped the question.

“I’m sure,” Myka told her.  “Promise.”

Helena smiled and took the book back.

Want to help me with the books?

“Do you even have to ask?”

Helena grinned.  She stood and pulled her box of books from the pile.  Myka watched her struggle to carry the box to the bookcase, then moved across the room to sit next to her.

Helena pulled the first book out, and handed it to her.  Myka turned the book over in her hands.  Dracula.

Myka thought for a few moments, searching for a good quote, then laughed.

“‘Once again...welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring’.”

She handed the book back to a smiling Helena, who set it on the floor before pulling the next book out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone freaks out about the story now being marked as complete, I am not leaving it here. I will be starting a second part. When this will happen, I don't know. My next day off isn't until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I don't know. I just know, that I have to put some space between myself and this specific part. I started it right when my depression started, and thinking about working on this just feels, weird. It is also, partially, due to the fact that in the past two years, I have grown as a writer, and I get a very strong urge to either rewrite, or trash the entire thing when I go back through it. Hopefully, having a separate part, that won't happen.
> 
> I am going to make this one part one of the series (there may be a name change, haven't decided yet), so if you want to read what's to come, subscribe to the series.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck through to this point. I hope you decide to continue with me, but if not, I understand, and am grateful that you have read to this point.


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